electoral college

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Maine Joins Compact to Bypass Electoral College

Effort doesn't have enough states participating to take effect yet

(Newser) - Maine will become the latest to join a multistate effort to elect the president by popular vote with the Democratic governor's announcement Monday that she's letting the proposal become law without her signature. Under the proposed compact, each state would allocate all its electoral votes to whoever wins...

Vice President's Role Is Clear in Measure on Election Count

Congress nears approval of plan making objecting to results tougher

(Newser) - Congressional leaders have agreed on legislation designed to hinder any president and his supporters trying to overturn election results. The measure revises the Electoral Count Act of 1887, increasing the minimum for objecting to Electoral College results to one-fifth of the members in the House and Senate. It only took...

Pence Made Small but Key Changes to Jan. 6 Script

He was the first VP since Gore to ask if there were any objections to results

(Newser) - On Jan. 6 last year, the vice president's largely ceremonial role in certifying the presidential election results became a potential turning point in American history. Then-President Trump was urging then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election results and block Joe Biden from becoming president. Pence, however, made it...

Mike Pence's Big Day Gets Late-Night Preview

Jimmy Fallon says VP's role at election certification is glorified 'bingo caller'; others have own takes

(Newser) - All eyes will be on Mike Pence on Wednesday, when the vice president will preside over a joint session of Congress to certify Joe Biden's election victory. With President Trump putting the squeeze on him to block that certification—which legal experts widely agree Pence doesn't have the...

How Wednesday's Big Day in Congress Should Play Out
What to Expect When
Congress Meets Wednesday
the rundown
Jan 5, 2021 12:58 PM CST

What to Expect When Congress Meets Wednesday

GOP objections to vote count could delay certification for 12 hours

(Newser) - By now, everyone knows the drill: Congress meets Wednesday to formally certify the electoral college results, with VP Mike Pence scheduled to preside. This is normally routine stuff, with the joint session lasting all of 23 minutes in 2013 and 41 minutes in 2017, notes CBS News . But the 2021...

Electoral Fight Adds GOP Votes
Electoral Fight
Adds GOP Votes
Jan 2, 2021 1:50 PM CST

Electoral Fight Adds GOP Votes

11 senators sign on to object to Biden's electoral count

(Newser) - Acknowledging that their effort to keep President-elect Joe Biden from assuming office is unlikely to succeed, 11 Republican senators committed anyway Saturday to voting to reject Electoral College votes on Wednesday. The group said in a joint statement that a commission should be appointed by Congresss "to conduct an...

Pence Rebuffs 'Extreme Call' From GOP Congressman

Court filing by Louie Gohmert's lawyers says VP isn't on board with their plan to overturn election

(Newser) - On Jan. 6, Vice President Mike Pence will oversee the Senate's formal acceptance of the Electoral College vote—and so far, it looks like he'll be following the usual protocols instead of joining in efforts to upend the results. Earlier this week, GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert filed a...

After Powerful Speech on His Vote, an Elector's Emotional Reveal

Jack Arends of Washington state on his failing health: 'I was glad to do my duty'

(Newser) - On Monday, Washington state's dozen electors all cast their votes for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the next president and vice president of the United States. One vote, however, proved a particularly emotional one. The Washington Post reports Jack Arends, a 64-year-old grassroots activist from Snohomish County, arrived...

GOP Leader on Trump Gambit: 'I Can't Stand for That. I Won't'

President wanted a new lineup of Michigan electors

(Newser) - President Trump had the leaders of Michigan's House and Senate, both Republicans, over to the White House last month. Trump wanted a GOP slate of electors to replace the ones committed by the Nov. 3 election results to voting for Joe Biden. House Speaker Lee Chatfield and Senate Majority...

Biden Wins Electoral Vote, 306-232, With No Defections

Smooth process in state capitals follows Trump's efforts to overturn the election results

(Newser) - Electors in state capitals across the nation met their constitutional obligation to cast their votes for president Monday—a formal exercise that cemented President-elect Joe Biden's election victory. The final count was 306 electoral votes for Biden, 232 for President Trump, the AP reports, as it was in the...

Trump Backers See One Last Challenge in January
Trump Challenges May Lead
to Big Test for Pence
the rundown
Dec 14, 2020 11:34 AM CST

Trump Challenges May Lead to Big Test for Pence

When Congress meets to certify Electoral College count, things could get interesting

(Newser) - It's Electoral College day . Electors from all the states and DC have begun meeting in their state capitals to formally cast their ballots for Joe Biden or President Trump. While this is normally a ho-hum formality, the 2020 process is anything but because of Trump's refusal to acknowledge...

This Should Be Milestone Day for Joe Biden

Electoral College meets to formally cast their votes for the presidency

(Newser) - Monday is a significant day in the US on two fronts: Not only do COVID vaccinations begin but the Electoral College meets. The latter is the next big step in the selection of the president, and one with added significance in 2020 because of President Trump's continuing challenge of...

17 Republican AGs Support Longshot Election Lawsuit

Texas suit seeks to block Electoral College votes from 4 states Trump lost

(Newser) - President Trump appears to have pinned his hopes of overturning his election loss on a longshot lawsuit filed this week by Texas Attorney General Bill Paxton. Some 17 other Republican state attorneys general supported the lawsuit in a brief filed with the Supreme Court Wednesday, and Trump himself filed a...

Senator Won't Rule Out Challenging Electoral College Vote

YouTube is banning videos alleging election fraud

(Newser) - Earlier this week, Republican Sen. Mike Braun questioned whether "any one senator would feel comfortable" challenging the Electoral College vote when Congress meets on Jan. 6 to certify it next month. But GOP Sen. Ron Johnson might be the one. The Wisconsin senator, who is chairman of the Senate...

Conway: Biden 'Looks Like' the Winner

Former aide defends Trump's challenge of election results but says nation 'will move forward'

(Newser) - A longtime member of President Trump's inner circle said Friday that she expects the Electoral College to award Joe Biden a majority of its votes and a peaceful transition to the new president to follow. "We, as a nation, will move forward, because we always do," Kellyanne...

Here's a Guide to What Happens Next
Trump Might Take This
to the Supreme Court
the rundown
Nov 7, 2020 4:30 PM CST

Trump Might Take This to the Supreme Court

But there are hurdles, to say the least

(Newser) - Now that the AP has declared Joe Biden the next US president, what happens? And can President Trump, who is refusing to concede, take this to the Supreme Court? The Wall Street Journal offers a guide: First, states will let campaigns seek recounts or will conduct them on their own...

Hillary Clinton to Cast Vote in Electoral College

She's a New York state elector this year

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton has decried the Electoral College—but this year she'll cast a vote in it. The former Democratic presidential nominee, who won the popular vote in 2016, announced she would be one of 29 electors for New York during an interview on Sirius XM's "Signal Boost"...

Pelosi Plans for Rarity: Election by House
Pelosi
Prepares for
No-Decision
Sep 28, 2020 7:30 PM CDT

Pelosi Prepares for No-Decision

To guarantee presidential victory, speaker says Democrats need a majority of seats per state

(Newser) - Here's another possibility should the outcome of the presidential election be in dispute long after Nov. 3: the House deciding the winner. It hasn't happened since 1877, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi has addressed that scenario in a letter to Democrats, NPR reports. "We cannot leave anything to...

Supreme Court Rules Against 'Faithless Electors'

States can make them back the winner of popular vote

(Newser) - The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that states can require presidential electors to back their states' popular-vote winner in the Electoral College, per the AP . The ruling, just under four months before the 2020 election, leaves in place laws in 32 states and the District of Columbia that bind electors...

Yes, Biden Leads Polls, but Another Stat Is Key

Nate Silver: Swing-state margins suggest Trump could win Electoral College, if polls tighten

(Newser) - The respected stats site FiveThirtyEight.com is out with its first batch of polling averages for the presidential election, and it's good news for Joe Biden—at least on the surface. Biden is up 50.5% to 41.3% nationally, and he also leads in nearly all the swing...

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