By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Every four years, Congress is tasked with certifying the Presidential Election results.
The 2024 Presidential Election was officially certified by Congress on Monday and went much smoother than the previous certification four years ago. As President of the Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the joint session of Congress Monday and officially announced president-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance the winners of the 2024 election.
The certification is the last step before the Presidential Inauguration on January 20.
As snow blanketed the outside of the U.S. Capitol Monday, inside the Capitol, ceremonial leather-bound boxes were marched to the House to certify the 2024 Presidential Election.
Vice President Kamala Harris and senators followed the electoral boxes Monday afternoon across the Capitol before convening the joint session. In her role as Senate President, Vice President Kamala Harris oversaw the certification of her own loss, as the votes for each state were read aloud.
President-elect Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance (R- OH) won with 312 electoral votes. Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, received 226 electoral votes.
Today, Republican lawmakers had a front row seat to watch their candidate’s official certification.
“It can’t be lost any of these kind of historic moments, people will write books about what’s happened this year. It also echoes home, the fact that we have an awful lot of work to do,” said Rep. Nick Langworthy (R- NY).
Today’s certification was a stark contrast to what unfolded on January 6, 2021. Since that date, lawmakers passed the Electoral Count Reform Act. The law makes it harder for Congress to challenge a state’s electoral votes by raising the threshold required to object to a state’s electoral votes from one senator and one representative to one-fifth of each chamber.
In the past four years, security has also been enhanced at the Capitol. The United States Capitol Police has completed more than 100 inspector general recommendations including increased staffing and training.
With today’s certification, the state funeral for President Jimmy Carter and the upcoming inauguration, security at the capitol is very high. Nearly 4,000 additional officers from jurisdictions across the country are being brought in to assist with the special events.
