Rep. Pappas To Vote to Affirm 2020 Presidential Election Results
Today, ahead of the Congress's vote to affirm the results of the 2020 presidential election, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) released a video confirming that he will abide by the oath of office he took on Sunday and will vote to affirm the results of the 2020 presidential election as certified by state election officials. Despite the efforts of some members of Congress to gin up falsehoods about the November election, Rep. Pappas remains confident the truth will prevail.
"The election is over. Now is the time for leadership, not politics. And our elected officials have a responsibility to focus on the needs of the American people, especially during this time of crisis," said Rep. Pappas, in a video from his office in Washington. "When it comes down to it, I know we can meet this moment and produce meaningful results for this country. We can do it in a unifying and bipartisan fashion. But we always must be guided by our democratic principles and the will of the American people."
Read the text of his remarks below:
Hi everyone, I'm here in my office in Washington and I wanted to share a quick update.
Today, Congress will take the final step in confirming the results of the 2020 Presidential election.
Since November 3rd, the fifty states - including New Hampshire - have worked to count and certify their results.
On December 14, based on those results, the Electoral College cast its votes for Joe Biden, the winner by a margin of 306-232.
The 117th Congress will now receive those results to be counted one last time.
That process will begin this afternoon here in Washington when the House and Senate meet in a joint session.
An envelope containing the election tallies and certification from each state and the District of Columbia will be opened, and Congress will vote on accepting these results.
Sounds simple enough, right?
Well for most of our nation's history, it has been.
But today, a large group of Republican members will formally object to a handful of these state certifications. They have no data or proof to back up their claims of fraud. They are pushing dangerous and debunked conspiracy theories that only serve to undermine our democracy and drive a wedge through the American people.
I will abide by the oath of office I took on Sunday and will vote to affirm the results of the 2020 presidential election as certified by state election officials. And despite the efforts of some of my colleagues to gin up falsehoods about the November election, I am confident the truth will prevail today.
The election is over. Now is the time for leadership, not politics. And our elected officials have a responsibility to focus on the needs of the American people, especially during this time of crisis.
When it comes down to it, I know we can meet this moment and produce meaningful results for this country. We can do it in a unifying and bipartisan fashion. But we always must be guided by our democratic principles and the will of the American people.
I look forward to the work ahead of us this term and the partnership between this Congress and the incoming Biden-Harris Administration.
I hope you are all staying safe and I look forward to hearing from you soon.