At least a dozen Republican senators will object to the certification of Electoral College votes next week as part of a last-minute attempt to overturn the results of November’s election before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US president on January 20.
On Saturday, seven Republican senators, including Ted Cruz of Texas, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and James Lankford of Oklahoma, as well as four senators-elect, said in a joint statement that they would object to the process of counting and certifying the Electoral College votes in Congress.
Citing unsubstantiated reports of widespread voter fraud, the senators said they would call for an electoral commission “to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states”.
Josh Hawley, the Republican senator from Missouri, said last week that he would object to the Electoral College certification process, in a statement that sparked outrage from many fellow Republicans.