What more steps does Biden need to take to enter the White House?
November 24th – On the 23rd local time, Emily Murphy, the director of the U.S. General Administration, informed Biden and his team that the Trump administration was ready to officially start the process of regime transition. However, NPR pointed out that there are still many important electoral steps to be completed from “elected president” to becoming president of the United States.
Late November to early December: State ballot counts are certified
After the states have completed the regular ballot count and processed the provisional ballot, the election officer will confirm the valid vote and prepare the report, and the election results will then be certified. While each state has its own deadline, most states are expected to complete the certification process by the end of November or early December.
According to the statistics of the Associated Press, as of the 23rd local time, 16 states in the United States have certified the election results. The remaining states are required to complete their accreditation before the December 14th Electoral College meeting. The Wall Street Journal pointed out on the same day that the legal campaign led by Trump’s personal lawyer Giuliani is still suing in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada. Its team also paid $3 million to Wisconsin to recount votes in some areas. And because the gap between Biden and Trump’s vote is within 0.5%, Georgia will recount the votes at the request of the Trump campaign, which is expected to end on December 2.
December: Official vote of voters
States in the United States are likely to have elected and nominated local voters by December 8, and the number of electoral votes in each state is the same as that of the state’s congressmen. With the addition of three electors in the District of Columbia, there will be a total of 538 electors. In most states, when a general election candidate wins the general election, they will receive all the electoral votes in the state, and only Maine and Nebraska will allocate electoral votes according to the congressional district.
On December 14, voters will meet in the states to formally vote for general election candidates, which will be sent to Congress by December 23. An elector can betray his promise and become a so-called “disbelief voter”. However, this usually does not happen and will have serious consequences for voters. In addition, it is unlikely that the re-election of the elector will change the outcome of this election.
January 6: Congress counts the electoral votes and confirms the winner
On January 3, 2021, the 117th United States Congress will be sworn in. On January 6th, three days later, the newly appointed members will count the electoral votes. This is the last step from the elected president to the president.
The ballot papers of the electors will be read out aloud in alphabetical order by the tally, who have been appointed by both houses of the Senate and the House of Representatives. After counting the votes, the presiding officer will announce whether the candidate has obtained 270 electoral votes. According to the United States Code, this proclamation “shall be deemed sufficient to the President and Vice President-Elect”.
January 20: President-elect takes office
At noon on January 20, the president-elect and vice president will be sworn in and officially become the next president and vice president of the United States.
