- Vice President Mike Pence supports the efforts of IDP legislators who plan to challenge the election of President Biden during a joint session of Congress.
- About a dozen senators and 140 House of Representatives have indicated they will oppose the certification of Electoral College votes.
- Objections by members of the House and Senate may delay the certification of the results, but will not change the election results in any U.S. state.
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Vice President Mike Pence supports the efforts of Republican lawmakers to challenge the election of President-elect Joe Biden by opposing the certification of voting electoral college.
“Vice President Pence shares the concern of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities in the recent election,” Pence chief of staff Marc Short said in a statement, The Washington Post reported.
“The Vice President welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring evidence before Congress and the American people on January 6.”
The statement comes after Republican senators and representatives indicated they would object to the certification of the Electoral College votes.
Elected President Joe Biden won the election by receiving 306 votes compared to President Donald Trump’s 232. The results were validated in each state and presidential voters cast their ballots last month.
The voters’ votes must be certified on Wednesday during a convention that is usually procedural, confirming the winner that voters and the Electoral College have already chosen.
As vice president and president of the Senate, Pence will oversee the certification of the results.
But Texas Senator Ted Cruz announced Saturday that he would oppose the certification, and he is expected to be united by about a dozen other senators. Cruz’s attempt is to seek a 10-day emergency audit of the election results.
Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri also indicated Wednesday that he would oppose the certification.
The protesters expressed concern about the integrity of the election, although dozens of lawsuits over election fraud were unsuccessful. The Justice Department also said it found no evidence of widespread fraud that would alter the election results.
Some Republican senators, including Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, have said they will not support the effort to challenge the election results.
Meanwhile, at least 140 Republican House members are also planning to vote against the January 6 election statement.
Objections by members of the House and Senate may delay the certification of the results, but will not change the election results in any U.S. state.
Pence’s indication of support for the efforts comes one day after a case against him was rejected in court.
Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas led to an attempt to sue the vice president over his role in overseeing the certification process instituted Wednesday. Gohmert argued that Pence should have the authority to accept or reject the election results of individual states, which would give him the opportunity to reject votes of states won by Biden.
Before the court ruling, Pence and the Department of Justice asked the judge to stop the case, which is unlikely to succeed.