Although the November 5th Election Day has already passed, the process of electing the United States president does not simply end here. To peacefully and fairly transfer power during the inauguration, Congress and the Electoral College take a series of actions. Here is a brief list of important dates with “behind the scenes” events from December 11, 2024, to the final inauguration on January 20, 2025.
Mark your calendar:
Dec. 11, 2024: Issue Certificate of Ascertainment of Appointment of Electors
Six days before the elector's meeting, states must finish preparing and issuing the Certificate of Ascertainment of Appointment of Electors. Each state has seven Certificates of Ascertainment, one sent on Dec. 11, and the remaining six will be sent on Dec. 17. These certificates clarify and appoint each state's electors to select the winning candidate's State political party. The number of electors appointed equals the number of Senators and Representatives in each state. Currently, California holds 52 seats in total.
The original copies of these certificates will be sent to the Archivists, who organize and preserve these documents like a physical database. These certificates are almost the “identification card” of each state's selected electors, ensuring no changes will be made later.
Dec. 17, 2024: Elector’s Meeting and Vote of Electors
During each election year, the elector’s meeting happens on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December. It is a chance for the electoral college to meet in their state and cast votes for President and Vice President, mainly at local state capitol buildings.
A set of electoral votes consists of one Certificate of Ascertainment and one Certificate of Vote. Each state's remaining six Certificates of Ascertainment are paired with the six Certificates of Voters, where the electoral colleges’ votes are recorded. In total, each state will complete six sets of electoral votes on this day. After sealing up each set, they are later sent to Washington, DC, for review and to be counted.
Dec. 25, 2024: Deadline for Receiving Electoral Votes (Electoral College)
The deadline for the president of the Senate or the United States Archivist to receive the votes is the fourth Wednesday of December.
Although states sending late votes or losing votes will not receive consequences, the Archivist will, according to the National Archives, “take extraordinary measures to retrieve duplicate originals” once lost or delayed.
Jan. 3, 2025: 119th Congress Convenes
Aside from the presidential election, new congressional leaders were also elected in November, and newly elected Representatives and Senators sworn into new congressional offices on this day. This is also when the Archivist transfers the Certificates to Congress.
Though this system seems complicated, with certificates being transferred on various days and the Archivist in between, it promises an efficient and fair process. The nine days between the deadline for receiving votes to the newly elected Congress starting in office provide flexibility for late and lost votes, ensuring no votes are missed or damaged under the Archivist’s supervision.
Jan 6, 2025: Congress counts the electoral votes
In a joint session, Congress counts out the electoral votes, with the President of the Senate and the Vice President presiding. Later, the President of the Senate will declare the newly elected President and Vice President who won the 270 major electoral college votes.
What if there’s a tie? It would simply be too time-consuming for the Electoral College to vote and for votes to be counted by Congress once again. Thus, the president will be determined by the House of Representatives' major votes, with one vote per state. The Representatives would now vote on the three presidential candidates who received the most votes. The Vice President goes through a similar process but is voted by the Senate, with only two candidates with the most votes to choose from.
What if there are objections? A PEACEFUL process should be followed: a written objection should be submitted and signed by at least one-fifth of the members of the House and one-fifth of the Senators. According to the National Archives, only two grounds for objection are acceptable: “that the electors of the State were not lawfully certified under a Certificate of Ascertainment, or that the vote of one or more electors has not been regularly given.”
There are times when voters fail to follow a peaceful and respectful model, violently expressing their objections to the result. On January 6th, 2021, upon hearing the news of Donald J. Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of Trump’s supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol in rage, expressing their disagreement and disbelief in the final election result. This incident not only led to the impeachment of Trump but also caused injuries and death.
Fake voters? Rigged voting machines? Burning mail ballots? Blessing of election officials? Election denialism rose with Trump’s loss in the presidential election. Indeed, there are possible areas of improvement that should be achieved with the growing number of cyber-attacks brought by the advancement of technology. The current election procedures also strive to achieve an accurate and transparent election process.
According to the Congressional Research Service, several checks and balances exist within the election process, from supporting voters to cast their ballots to the canvassing process. The election observers, who “ensure that voters can cast their ballots privately and securely and that ballots are handled and counted correctly,” follow the policies set by each state to observe which process of the election and what accreditation. The wide range of observer categories includes “general public, academics, and representatives of political parties or nonpartisan civic or legal organizations.” Observers often monitor the in-person ballots to support technical difficulties and prevent voter fraud. For drop-off boxes for mailing ballots, many states have surveillance cameras set up and have two election workers to pick up the ballots. Furthermore, the “signature verification for mail ballots typically involves multiple people.”
Canvassing is a process that allows political parties or the candidate's campaign to contact the voters directly by going door to door or calling to collect data. Usually, this data would later be used as a part of the campaigning strategies and can significantly impact the voting turnouts. Some states livestream the canvassing process, including the public as another check and balance, while others allow media access to certain procedures. To achieve a good balance, “many states include individuals who were not directly involved in the administration of the election on their canvassing boards or in canvassing processes” as well.
In the 21st century, with the fast development of technologies, peace is the most valuable thing a country can ask for. In order to establish a safe space for voices to be heard and to be adverse to the discomfort that disagreement creates, respect for each other is the foundation of all.
Was it insurrection or protest? Though debates about the past election continue and predictions about the upcoming January 6th cannot be made, a hope to see a peaceful power transfer still remains. As Willie Greene, the author of Not Sure Who Needs To Hear This, But… WE THE URBAN, shared on election day: “No matter the outcome, we keep pushing forward with love, resilience, and a vision for a world where everyone is seen, heard, and valued.”
Jan 20, 2025: Inauguration Day
On this day, the newly elected President and Vice President take oaths of office at the U.S. Capitol. The event starts at noon Eastern Time. Once the President and Vice President are sworn in, the power transfer is considered complete. This process is also expected to be a peaceful transfer of power.
Coincidentally, Stevenson School also has a day off on the Inauguration day, allowing students to watch the inauguration live despite the starting time being during school hours. A watch party will be hosted in the Treasure Room for boarders.
Just like the never-ending discussion of politics, Stevenson’s promotion of civic literacy and engagement does not stop as the 2024 election approaches its end. In a recent interview with Tusitala, the Upper Division Head, Aimee Bates, shared two events students can look forward to.
With the symposium slowly approaching, the theme has already been revealed: civic engagement. This allows Stevenson students to “understand beyond the presidential and national elections what civic engagement looks like, particularly what it looks like for teenagers” (Bates). It is a chance for students to engage with experts and inspire them to think critically about their social engagement.
“Youth movement for better politics. Join the fight against political division.” These slogans are presented on the Bridge USA website, a program that “is a multi-partisan student movement that champions viewpoint diversity, responsible discourse, and a solution-oriented political culture.” Starting in college, Bridge USA chapters also appeared in high schools, particularly independent schools. With a mission of fighting against political division, this program is inspired to create a community where students from all “ideological spectrum[s] can engage as a group working together to understand–to bridge–the various perspectives behind the important political and social issues of our time.”
“It's on my list of things I'm interested in,” Bates noted. Looking forward, Stevenson is working to start a Bridge USA chapter: “It's a student-run program that adults would support, but it's also a leadership opportunity for students.” To lead without discrimination and bias against others' beliefs, Bates added that “students need to be committed to leadership as it requires much student training.”
Political party clubs are commonly seen in college, providing students a space to engage with those with similar political interests and support their party. Is it possible to have such a club at Stevenson? Will it cause discourse? J.D. Gladden, the dean of academic life, explained her past interactions with similar clubs: "In my last school, there was a conservative club that my advisee led, and he expanded the club to focus on dialogue across political differences." The club format became "a series of widely attended meetings on different issues.” Gladden reflected that it “was a pretty interesting dynamic and a place for students to talk about politics."
Gladden further discussed the success she saw when students engage in discussions during her ethics and leadership classes: “I think we've successfully cultivated the students to engage thoughtfully with one another and be comfortable with taking a stance and wrestling with challenging topics.”
Bates also encourages students to think of the purpose of creating political party-affiliated clubs at a high school level: “I don't have any experience with clubs like that at the high school level, so I would also be curious about the desires and readiness of the students.” For students who feel inspired to host such clubs, Bates advises "looking at models at other high schools as a way to approach.”
Stevenson continues to support student involvement in civic engagement by encouraging awareness of the election process and promoting civic education in schools, emphasizing the importance of understanding different perspectives and engaging in respectful discussions as essential parts of life and skills for navigating modern society.
So, dare to grow, dare to challenge, and dare to exemplify your voice.
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