Four years after a violent mob stormed the Capitol to disrupt democracy, Congress is reconvening Monday to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election. This time, Democrats appear ready to let the process proceed without interference.
The House and Senate will meet in a joint session, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, to tally electoral votes from all 50 states and D.C. Harris will read the results aloud, confirming Trump’s win in what is typically a ceremonial step before the January 20 inauguration.
The Electoral Count Reform Act, passed in 2022, tightened rules to prevent chaos. It clarified the vice president’s role as purely ceremonial and raised the bar for objections—now requiring support from 20% of members in both chambers, rather than just one member from each.
This reform aims to avoid a repeat of the 2021 debacle when Trump supporters, spurred by baseless fraud claims, stormed the Capitol. At the time, GOP lawmakers like Rep. Paul Gosar and Sen. Ted Cruz raised objections to Biden’s electoral votes, prompting debates that were interrupted by the violent mob.
Any objection this year would likely go nowhere. With the higher threshold for challenges and no sign of widespread opposition, lawmakers are expected to move swiftly through the certification process.
