How election certification works and why it matters more than ever this year
States certify their outcomes after reviewing disputed ballots, conducting post-election audits, and double-checking numbers for accuracy. Federal, state, and native election officers from each political events have stated there was no widespread fraud or irregularities within the 2020 election.
The thought is that if there is not any certification, then Republican-run state legislatures in just a few key states might appoint pro-Trump slates of presidential electors, though Biden gained the favored vote of their state.
“This is why they want to delay certification, because delaying certification could be a predicate to arguing that the state didn’t make a choice, and that the legislature should step in,” stated Rick Hasen, a CNN contributor and an election legislation professor on the University of California, Irvine.
Senior GOP lawmakers in key states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have already rejected this thought, and some states have legal guidelines explicitly ruling out this choice.
Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, a Republican, advised reporters earlier this month that lawmakers do not have the authorized grounds to nominate their very own electors. While a spokesperson for Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, one other Republican, additionally poured chilly water on the concept of appointing electors that did not help the winner of the statewide vote.
“Our legislation, election code makes it clear we have nothing to do with selecting electors,” spokesperson Jennifer Kocher stated, including that Corman will not be contemplating appointing pro-Trump electors and has by no means thought of that as a chance.
“Every day that passes makes it legally and politically less likely that Trump can pull off this crazy attempt to subvert the will of the people,” Hasen stated. “The system is kind of on autopilot.”
