certification

A joint session of Congress began meeting at 1 p.m. to certify results of the presidential election but a large number of Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Andy Harris, are expected to object to results in certain swing states that led to an Electoral College victory for Joe Biden over Donald Trump.

Certification is usually a routine process, but objections will make it a much lengthier one.

The first objection — which requires an objection in writing from at least one senator and congressman — to the Electoral College votes came when the results from Arizona were read. As a result of the objection, the Senate and the House of Representatives withdrew from the joint session and met separately to debate and vote on the objection.

A dozen Republican senators and more than 100 Republican congressmen have said they intend to object as the Electoral College votes are read state by state.

Maryland Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R) told WBAL-TV on Monday that he will likely object to several states “where I think the outcome is probably in doubt because inadequate investigation has been allowed to occur.”

“If there is no wrongdoing, there is nothing to hide, let’s go ahead, you know, throw open the windows, open the doors, let’s see all the materials,” Harris told the station. “…I would love to hear from the other side why investigations shouldn’t be done.”

Harris was one of two Republican congressmen who voted against seating the newly elected House members from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Forbes reported.

A Republican Texas congressman opposed to efforts to reject the presidential results had challenged the seating of those House members, arguing that any voter fraud in those states would also affect the congressional results. By challenging the results in those House races, he forced his GOP colleagues to acknowledge the legitimacy of the congressional results in those states.

To watch the debate, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKy84YmL-sU.

The Maryland Board of Canvassers certified the state’s election results during a virtual meeting on Friday, bringing an historic and unconventional election to a close.

In the presidential election, Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Trump 65.4% to 32.2% — a record-setting margin in the modern era.

Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D), a critic of election officials in the leadup to the election, reiterated his apology to Election Administrator and Board of Canvassers Secretary Linda H. Lamone before he and other board members remotely certified the results.

“The people of Maryland owe you a lot more than a six-pack of Maryland craft beer,” Franchot said.

Maryland Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp (D) said she felt the election went “very smoothly, despite how difficult it was.” Lamone said turnout was high, and voters were evenly split between using mail-in ballots and turning out to vote in person.

Secretary of State John C. Wobensmith said he felt the November election was an improvement over the June primary, during which late mail-in ballot deliveries and long in-person voting lines stoked fears of election errors.

“I was impressed with the fact that a number of the issues that had arisen from the primary election, you all fixed,” Wobensmith said.

Officials faced a slew of challenges in the leadup to the election, from printing millions of ballots and applications to finding election workers to fill thousands of vacancies. Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) said the election went “extraordinarily” well despite those challenges.

He went on to thank election volunteers who stepped up at the 11th hour to help in-person voting run smoothly.

“This was a tough time, but it was perhaps even tougher for the folks on the ground on election day,” Frosh said.

The Maryland Board of Canvassers consist of Frosh, Franchot, Kopp, Wobensmith and Clerk of the Court of Appeals Suzanne C. Johnson.

The results, which were independently audited following the receipt and counting of all timely and properly submitted ballots, will be officially presented in a meeting of Maryland’s electors at the State House on Dec. 14.

A copy of the state electors’ vote for president and vice president will subsequently be forwarded to the president of the U.S. Senate for counting during a joint session of the United States Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.

Click here for the official results.

By Bennett Leckrone

Andy Harris Among GOP Lawmakers Likely to Object to Certification of Presidential Election Results

Board of Canvassers Certifies State Election Results; Biden Wins Record Margin

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