US Vice President Mike
Pence will preside over a joint session of the Congress on Wednesday during
which the result of the November 3 presidential election will be counted. The
session will officially confirm the Electoral College votes won by
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

Several Republican
lawmakers are, however, expected to raise their opposition to the counting of
votes and election results.

“When the Congress
meets tomorrow, this resounding victory will be recognised, and Joe Biden and
Kamala Harris will be officially declared the next President and Vice President
of the United States,” House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in
her ‘Dear Colleague letter’ on Tuesday, PTI reported.

Noting that the session
should be a solemn occasion, Pelosi said there are no speaking roles during the
session, except for announcing the votes of the states.

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“If Republicans
bring a challenge to a state, we then break into separate House and Senate
sessions to debate. The state delegations and our leaders – Representatives Zoe
Lofgren, Jamie Raskin, Adam Schiff and Joe Neguse – have been working on our
Democratic presentation of the Constitutional, historical and thematic
justification for respecting the will of the people,” Pelosi said.

“On the Floor of the
House, we will have a civics lesson about protecting the integrity of our
democracy. Priority to speak has been given to state delegation Members from
states that are expected to face a challenge,” she added.

Pelosi said that access
to the Floor of the House will be limited to only those who are scheduled to
speak during House debate where there is an objection.

“In the event of a challenge, we may only have
54 Members in the House Gallery, which we hope to accommodate on a rotating
basis,” she said.

“Tomorrow is about guaranteeing trust in our
democratic system. As Members of Congress, we all have a responsibility to
uphold the principle: the people are sovereign and that they hold the power to
choose their leaders through the ballot box. I am confident that Democrats will
honour this responsibility, with unity, patriotism and dignity For The People,” she added.