Congress will meet in joint session on Tuesday, where they will certify the results of the Electoral College vote that will make Joe Biden the 46th President of the United States.
But at least five Republican members of the House from North Carolina plan to object, despite no credible evidence suggesting widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.
An expanding group of GOP lawmakers said they intend to support an objection to the Electoral College votes, if one is brought, and propose an election commission to conduct an “emergency 10-day audit” of the election returns in the “disputed states”, multiple outlets have reported.
Among the group from North Carolina that plan to raise objections is the representative of much of northeastern North Carolina, Third District Rep. Greg Murphy of Greenville, who issued a statement Tuesday morning:
“Americans deserve a free, fair, and accurate election. One in which all Americans, regardless of political affiliation, have confidence in the results. I have been quite vocal in stating that to preserve the integrity of our elections, we must fight to ensure that every voice is heard, every legal vote is counted, and every count is confirmed.
There is a legal and well-established process set forth by our Founding Fathers to ensure that our elections are accurate and honest. After diligently researching this issue, as well as listening to thousands of constituents’ opinions regarding the Electoral College, I plan to object tomorrow.”.
“When I was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives, I took an oath to defend the Constitution. Contrary to what many in the mainstream media would have you believe, this is not about a person, but rather about upholding the Constitution.
It very clearly states in Article II Section 1 that state legislatures are charged with writing election laws, not executive officials and judges. Unfortunately multiple states, some more egregiously than others, violated that section of the Constitution. Whether objecting would change the outcome is not the question that must be addressed.
It is rather, did certain states follow their constitutional duties in how they chose electors? I believe the answer is ‘no’. Unless we solve this problem now by objecting and calling into question the irregularities in the process this year, it will call into question the integrity of every election this nation faces moving forward.
The fact that executive officials and judges in several states usurped the legislative power to rewrite election law from thin air is at best troubling and at worst seditious. It is clear these issues warrant further scrutiny.
Also joining Murphy in saying they will object to the Electoral College results that have Biden winning over President Donald Trump by a 306-232 margin are Reps. Ted Budd (13th District), Madison Cawthorn (11th), Richard Hudson (8th) and David Rouzer (7th).
U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, who said previously he will not run for reelection in 2022, is the only GOP member of the state’s congressional delegation to announce his intention to vote for certifying the Electoral College results.
Last month, Murphy was among 106 Republicans in Congress that backed a lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court by Texas that sought to overturn the results of the November Presidential election.
The high court rejected that case, one of more than 50 lawsuits lost by backers of Trump’s efforts to overturn the election.
