The Electoral College process that started with the November election comes to a grand finale on Wednesday, when presidential votes of all 50 states and the District of Columbia will be counted during a joint session of Congress.
It’s normally a ceremonial step, but after failing to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the courts or in state legislatures, President Donald Trump has encouraged his supporters in the House and Senate to object to the votes from a handful of battleground states. Those objections will force hours of debate and a series of votes in both chambers but are expected to fail.
CNN is tracking the congressional action in real time beginning at 1 p.m. ET and will fill in the state electoral vote totals below as they are accepted on January 6.
Any objection must be made in writing and backed both by a member of the House of Representatives and a senator, from any state. Objections that are entertained by the chair — that’s Vice President Mike Pence, whose duties include serving as president of the Senate — will force both the House and Senate to withdraw for debate in each chamber, which will be capped at a maximum of two hours. More than a dozen senators have indicated they plan to join in objections from House Republicans.