Several Republican senators are vowing to challenge electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election from several battleground states when the votes are formally counted at a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, with the hopes of establishing a commission to determine who gets the votes.
Unlike what was called for by a failed lawsuit from Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, the suggestion here is not to simply overturn the election results outright and award a second term to President Trump, but rather to have an independent investigation of those states’ elections. While out of the ordinary, it would not be the first time for such a process, as it is what happened following the 1876 election, allowing Rutherford B. Hayes to become president.
“We should follow that precedent,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and 10 other current and incoming senators said in a joint statement, referring to the race between Hayes and Samuel Tilden. “To wit, Congress should immediately appoint an Electoral Commission, with full investigatory and fact-finding authority, to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states. Once completed, individual states would evaluate the commission’s findings and could convene a special legislative session to certify a change in their vote, if needed.”
In 1877, following the 1876 election, returns from Florida, Louisana, and South Carolina – and one elector from Oregon – were disputed. Congress then set up a com… (Read more)
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