Congress meets for a joint session to certify the results of the 2024 election, the final step before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, after some major changes to the ceremony’s security and the law that dictates its unfolding.
Before 2021, Congress’s constitutionally mandated responsibilities of counting state election certifications and certifying the January 6 results often occurred in less than an hour with little notice from the public.
But the events of four years ago mean that this case is under even greater scrutiny.
Washington DC is under tight security, not only for the certification of the vote, but also for the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter at the end of this week and Trump’s inauguration in two weeks.
A crowd of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump fights with law enforcement officers outside a gate they opened as they stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, January 6, 2021.
Léa Millis/Reuters, FILE
There are no known threats to the certification of electoral votes, authorities say, but police are preparing for the possibility.
And the Washington region is expected to see its heaviest snowfall in several years on Monday, which could impact government operations, but it shouldn’t prevent certification.
Here’s what we expect on Monday:
Security
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s request to designate Washington as a special national security event for vote counting and certification, which was approved in September. This allows significant resources from the federal government, as well as state and local partners, to be used in a comprehensive security plan, with the U.S. Secret Service as the lead agency.
The Secret Service deploys agents and specialists from field offices across the country to supplement its workforce. DC police will be fully activated starting Sunday morning and will call on nearly 4,000 additional officers from across the country to help maintain order during special events. Drones will be used for the preparation of events and training.
The dome of the United States Capitol is visible at a temporary protective checkpoint on the west facade of the United States Capitol on January 2, 2025 in Washington, DC As Congress returns tomorrow, the United States Capitol has implemented enhanced security protection for the January 6, 2025 vote count to certify the election and Inauguration Day.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger told reporters, “The United States Capitol Police are better staffed, better trained and better equipped than ever before to protect our Capitol and our Congress. »
“The legislative process will continue without interruption and our government will benefit from a peaceful transfer of power,” he said.
The Capitol Police have implemented more than 100 recommendations made by its inspector general after the Jan. 6 attack, including increasing troop levels, training and creating a new intelligence operation.
The DC National Guard confirmed to ABC News that it has been activated and will participate in this month’s events. Some 500 Guard members are on standby for Jan. 6 and Carter’s funeral. A request for 7,800 troops for Trump’s inauguration is awaiting approval.
Fencing is installed around a perimeter that extends beyond the office buildings on both sides of the Capitol, and there is an interior perimeter that surrounds the immediate Capitol complex. The fence was first installed after the 2021 insurrection and will be similar to the one that was installed for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress last summer.
Fencing at the Capitol and near the White House is expected to remain in place until February, sources told ABC News.
No large groups requested permits or announced protests for election certification.
A pedestrian walks behind the security fence surrounding the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC, January 4, 2025.
Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters
Snowy day
DC is expected to receive between 8 and 12 inches of snow through Monday, but members should travel to the Capitol.
Republican leaders in the House of Representatives urged members to stay in Washington over the weekend and Speaker Mike Johnson is moving forward with Monday’s certification.
During an appearance on Fox News on Sunday, Johnson said he hoped for full participation.
“Whether we’re in a snowstorm or not, we’ll be in this room to make sure this gets done,” Johnson said.
The role of the vice president
Vice President Kamala Harris will preside over the certification, putting her in the unenviable position of certifying her 2024 opponent’s victory. Congress passed a law in 2022 to define the role of the vice president as purely ceremonial.
Harris said in a video message Monday that she would fulfill the “sacred obligation” today of certifying the results of the 2024 election — an election she lost.
“The peaceful transfer of power is one of the most fundamental principles of American democracy, like any other principle, it is what distinguishes our system of government from monarchy or tyranny,” Harris said.
“Today, at the United States Capitol, I will fulfill my constitutional duty as Vice President of the United States to certify the results of the 2024 election. This duty is a sacred obligation, which I will uphold, guided by the love of country and loyalty to our Constitution and my unwavering faith in the American people,” she added.
The Electoral Count Reform Act changed some of the provisions that Trump attempted to use to challenge the January 6, 2021 electoral count.
The law also makes it harder for Congress to challenge a state’s electoral votes. The law increased the threshold required to object to a state’s electoral votes from a senator and representative to one-fifth of each house and requires half of each house to support objections.
Although there were objections to state electors that led to the dissolution of the joint session in 2021, none were sustained by a half-house vote in either the Senate or the House.
The law also cleaned up vague language about when states must select their electors and created a fast-track process allowing federal courts, or the Supreme Court if necessary, to hear cases involving executive duty of the State to issue and transmit to Congress the certification of the persons appointed. voters.
Mahogany boxes used for election certification are on display during a press event at the U.S. Capitol on December 19, 2024 in Washington, DC. Certification of the 2024 election results is scheduled for January 6, 2025.
Alex Wong/Getty Images, FILE
Certify the vote
Processing of ballot papers: The sealed votes arrived at the Capitol and addressed to the vice president in her capacity as president of the Senate. The votes are placed in ceremonial leather-bound boxes and processed from the Senate to the House by a group of Senate pages.
Procession of senators in the House: Senators follow the ballot boxes to the House to call the joint session.
Members meet for a joint session: Federal law stipulates that deputies must meet at 1 p.m. for the opening of the results of the presidential election. The House Sergeant at Arms announces the President of the Senate (Harris) and the Senators as in the State of the Union Address, then the President of the Senate takes the dais and becomes the presiding officer of the ceremony. The Speaker of the House usually sits behind the Vice President.
“Cashiers” come to the stage: Two members of the House and two members of the Senate who were selected by the president and the Senate majority leader help lead the ceremony by reading the votes alphabetically by state. He is usually the senior Republican and Democrat on the Senate Rules and House Administration committees.
Harris reads the votes from each state in alphabetical order: starting with Alabama, Harris will open the certificates and hand them to one of the poll workers. Once the teller announces the result, Harris will ask if there are any objections. If there are objections as there were in 2021, it will be when they are heard.
If the objection threshold is reached: Harris would announce that the two chambers would deliberate separately on the outstanding objection and report their decision to the joint session. The Senate would withdraw from the joint session and return to its chamber. Both chambers would have up to two hours to debate whether to uphold the objection. It requires the vote of half of each house to support an objection.
Never in their history has either chamber sustained an objection.
Complete the process: The Vice President will announce the total number of electoral votes (538) and what constitutes a simple majority (217) and announce the number of electoral votes received by each candidate, then do the same for the Vice President. The Vice President will declare the joint session dissolved. . Usually there is applause and the certification is completed.
How long does all this take? : There have been cases where the certification took less than half an hour. In 2017, the certification of President Trump’s first term, presided over by then-vice president Joe Biden, lasted 41 minutes.
In 2021, Congress met at 1 p.m. in a joint session and, due to both an extended recess due to the Capitol breach and multiple state objections, did not complete its certification work of the election until 3:39 a.m. on January 7.
ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.
