On Monday, the House of Representatives and the Senate will convene in a Joint Session of Congress to certify the results of the 2024 presidential election, marking the formal conclusion of the Electoral College process. This traditionally procedural event has transformed into a high-security operation following the Capitol riot during the certification of the 2020 election.
Capitol security officials have erected 10-foot-high fencing around the Capitol complex, extending beyond usual boundaries to include areas such as the Russell Senate Park. Vehicular access to the complex has been restricted, pedestrian entry limited to specific access points, and official Capitol tours suspended for the day.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves as President of the Senate until January 20, will preside over the session. In a historical irony often seen in U.S. politics, Harris will oversee the certification of her party’s loss. This task has previously been performed by figures like Richard Nixon, who in 1961 certified John F. Kennedy’s victory, and Al Gore, who in 2001 certified George W. Bush’s presidency following the disputed 2000 election.
During the session, members of the House Administration Committee and Senate Rules Committee will act as tellers, verifying and announcing each state’s electoral votes. Certificates will be read alphabetically by state, starting with Alabama. Vice President Kamala Harris will declare the results authentic and announce that Donald John Trump has won the presidency for a term beginning on January 20, 2025.
The certification process follows changes to the 1887 Electoral Count Act, updated through the 2022 Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act. The new law clarified the vice president’s role as strictly ministerial, countering the pressures faced by former Vice President Mike Pence in 2021 to alter state-certified electoral results. It also established new judicial processes for electoral disputes and raised the threshold for Congressional challenges to a state’s electoral slate, requiring objections from one-fifth of House members and half of the Senate.
Unlike the contentious certification of 2020, this year’s proceedings face no disputes or challenges to the election outcome. Capitol security officials do not anticipate violence or significant protests, and certification is expected to conclude within an hour.
After certification, Donald John Trump will be formally declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election. On January 20, Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath of office on the Capitol’s West Front, ushering in Trump’s second term and continuing the tradition of a peaceful transfer—or continuation—of power in the United States.
