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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Have members of Congress ever challenged Electoral College results?

Monday, December 21, 2020

By Mia Dillon

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YES

Members of Congress have exercised their right to challenge Electoral College results on two occasions. Neither succeeded.

When a joint session of Congress meets to formally accept presidential election results, members may challenge in writing the vote of any state. If a member from each house joins the challenge, the houses adjourn for up to two hours of debate before voting whether to exclude the vote or votes. Both the House and Senate must agree.

The first formal objection was raised in 1969. In the second, in 2005, Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio and Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, both Democrats, challenged Ohio’s vote, citing alleged voting irregularities in low-income and Black neighborhoods.

On Dec. 14, Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks stated that he is looking for a Senator to join in filing a formal objection to 2020 Electoral College results when Congress meets on Jan. 6.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

US House of Representatives: First formal objection during the count of electoral votes

C-SPAN: Ohio electoral vote objection in the House

Congressional Research Service: 2020 presidential election timeline

Roll Call: Electoral votes are in, but congressional count may hold another round of drama

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.