Several steps remain for U.S. officials to confirm Donald Trump’s Electoral College victory, including Congress’s certification, which will be overseen by Vice President Kamala Harris. As the outgoing vice president, Harris will preside over the process confirming her own election loss—a constitutional procedure that has been followed by several past vice presidents.
In 1961, then-Vice President Richard Nixon certified the electoral votes for his opponent, President-elect John F. Kennedy, during a joint session of Congress. Eight years later, Nixon won the presidency, and the certification process was overseen by his defeated opponent, Vice President Hubert Humphrey.
Similarly, in 2000, Vice President Al Gore presided over the certification of the electoral victory of his rival, President-elect George W. Bush.
Certification Objections and Reform
Lawmakers can object to a state’s electoral results during the certification process, as some Republicans did after the 2020 election. On January 6, 2021, both the House and Senate rejected GOP objections to the results from Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Following the Capitol riots on that same day, when supporters of Donald Trump attempted to overturn his defeat to Joe Biden, Congress amended the 19th-century Electoral Count Act. The revisions clarified the vice president’s ceremonial role in the certification process and tightened the rules to make it more challenging to object to state results. These changes came after Trump had pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject the electoral votes—an act for which the vice president has no legal authority.
Inauguration Day
Once Congress certifies the Electoral College results, the president-elect will be inaugurated on January 20 on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, marking the official transition of power.
