US elections, the subsequent steps till Inauguration Day | EUROtoday

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After Election Day there are different phases earlier than arriving on the inauguration of Donald Trump as the brand new US president, throughout which the transition groups work on the handover. Here are the primary moments.

The votes of the electors

On the primary Monday after the second Wednesday in December, this yr on December 17, the electors of the electoral faculty vote for president and vp relying on the result of the vote of their particular person states, assembly of their respective capitals. Although members of the Electoral College can vote for anybody below the US Constitution, 32 states plus the District of Columbia have legal guidelines towards so-called faithless electors, these electors who don’t forged their electoral votes for the particular person they promised to vote for. . The Supreme Court dominated unanimously in 2020 that the Constitution doesn’t forestall states from penalizing or changing faithless electors. Sealed certificates of votes are despatched to the Senate President and the State Archives and should be obtained earlier than the fourth Wednesday in December. Then, on or earlier than January 3, the archivist transfers the certificates units to Congress.

The certification of the vote

On January 6, Congress meets in a joint session to depend and certify the electoral votes. The depend is completed aloud by the sitting vp, performing in his capability as president of the Senate. Members of Congress are free to object to all or any of a state’s electoral vote counts, offered that the objection is made in writing and signed by a minimum of one member of every home of Congress. If such an objection is made, each Houses adjourn to debate and vote on the objection. Approval of each homes of Congress is required to invalidate the electoral votes in query.

Inauguration day

On January 20, the president and vp take workplace by taking the oath of workplace on the Capitol, in a solemn ceremony adopted by tens of 1000’s of individuals crowded alongside the National Mall.