THE ELECTORAL COUNT. 1. HANDING DOWN THE OFFICIAL ASCERTAINMENTS OF ELECTORS. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair lays before the Senate a communication from the Secretary of State, transmitting, in pursuance of the provisions of the act of Congress of February 3, 1887, a copy of the official ascertainment of the electors for President and Vice-President appointed in the State of , at the election held therein on the -, as certified by the governor of the State. If there be no objection the communication with the accompanying certificate will lie on the table. day of [In the first instance, operating under the new law, the Presiding Officer directed the certificates and accompanying papers referred to the Committee on Privileges and Elections, which subsequently reported formally to the Senate.] 2. RESOLUTION FOR JOINT MEETING TO CANVASS THE ELECTORAL VOTE. A SENATOR (generally the chairman of the Committee on Privileges and Elections). Mr. President, I submit the following concurrent resolution: Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That the two Houses of Congress shall assemble in the Hall of the House of Representatives on the day of 19—, at — o'clock in the afternoon, pursuant to the requirements of the Constitution and laws relating to the election of President and VicePresident of the United States, and the President of the Senate shall be their presiding officer; that two tellers shall be previously appointed on the part of the Senate and two on the part of the House of Representatives, to whom shall be handed, as they are opened by the President of the Senate, all the certificates and papers purporting to be certificates of the electoral votes, which certificates and papers shall be opened, presented, and acted upon in the alphabetical order of the States, beginning with the letter A; and said tellers, having then read the same in the presence and hearing of the two Houses, shall make a list of the votes as they shall appear from the said certificates; and the votes having been ascertained and counted in the manner and according to the rules by law provided, the result of the same shall be delivered to the President of the Senate, who shall thereupon announce the state of the vote, which announcement shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons, if any, elected President and Vice-President of the United States, and, together with a list of the votes, be entered on the journals of the two Houses. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. If there be no objection the concurrent resolution will be referred to the Committee on Privileges and Elections. It is so ordered. A SENATOR (generally the chairman of the committee). I am directed by the Committee on Privileges and Elections, to whom was referred the concurrent resolution in regard to the count of electoral votes, to report back the same without amendment and recommend its adoption. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. The concurrent resolution will be placed on the calendar. THE SENATOR (upon a subsequent day). Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of the concurrent resolution relative to the electoral count. [There being no objection—] THE PRESIDING OFFICER. The concurrent resolution will be read. [After reading, debate may ensue. The resolution is subject to amendment.] THE PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the concurrent resolution. Putting the question. The resolution is agreed to. [It is then communicated to the House of Representatives in the usual way.] 3. APPOINTMENT OF TELLERS TO ACT IN THE JOINT MEETING. A SENATOR. Mr. President, I offer the following resolution, and ask unanimous consent for its present consideration. offers the following resolution: THE PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ordered, That the tellers on the part of the Senate authorized by the concurrent resolution of the two Houses relating to the counting of the electoral votes for President and Vice-President of the United States be appointed by the President of the Senate. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to its present consideration? The Chair hears none. The question is on agreeing to the same. It is agreed to, there being no objection. The Chair appoints the Senator from - Mr. the Senator from Mr. as the tellers on the part of the Senate. and 4. ON PROCEEDING TO TAKE PART IN THE JOINT MEETING. A SENATOR. Mr. President, I rise to make a privileged motion. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator will state his motion. THE SENATOR. I move that at five minutes before — o'clock to-day the Senate proceed to the Hall of the House of Representatives, there to take part under the Constitution and laws in the count of the electoral votes for President and Vice-President of the United States. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate has heard the motion of the Senator from that at five minutes before — o'clock to-day the Senate will proceed to the Hall of the House of Representatives, as required by the concurrent resolution, for the ascertainment and counting of the electoral vote. The Chair hears no objection, and it is so ordered. [When the hour arrives-] THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Senators, under the concurrent resolution providing for the count of the electoral votes for President and Vice-President of the United States, the Senate will now proceed to the Hall of the House of Representatives. [The Senate, preceded by the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Sergeant-at-Arms, and the messengers bearing the sealed boxes containing the official ascertainments of the States, thereupon proceed to the Hall of the House of Representatives for the purpose of participating in the count of the electoral votes for President and Vice-President of the United States.] 5. PROCEEDINGS IN THE CHAMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Just prior to the arrival of the Senate as a body at the door of the House of Representatives the Speaker announces that "the regular order of business of the House will be suspended for the present, as the Chair is informed that the Senate has left their Chamber for the Hall of the House of Representatives. The Chair desires to call the attention of the House to the fact that under the act of February 3, 1887, in regard to the proceedings of the two Houses in joint convention for the counting of the electoral vote, it is provided that the Senators shall be seated in that part of the Hall on the right of the Presiding Officer. [When the Senate appears at the bar of the House of Representatives-] THE DOORKEEPER. Mr. Speaker! The Senate of the United States! [The SPEAKER rises, raps with the gavel, and the Members of the House rise to receive the Senate. The Vice-President takes his seat at the Speaker's desk as Presiding Officer of the joint meeting of the two Houses, the Speaker being seated at his left, and the Senators take their seats as assigned to them. The Vice-President raps once with the gavel, and the Members and Senators are all seated.] THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE. The two Houses of Congress have assembled pursuant to the requirements of the Constitution and the laws of the United States for the purpose of counting the votes of the electors of the several States for President and Vice-President. Agreeably to the well-established practice, the reading of the formal portion of the certificate will be omitted unless there is demand to the contrary. Having ascertained that the certificates are in due form and properly authenticated, the tellers will count and make a list of the electoral votes of the several States in the alphabetical order of the States, beginning with the State of Alabama. [The boxes containing the official returns from the States are unsealed, and the Secretary of the Senate hands the certificates, in alphabetical order, to the tellers.] THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE. Following the precedents observed upon former occasions, unless in any case there be a demand that the certificate be reported in full, the tellers, having ascertained the certificates are in due form and properly authenticated, will omit the executive certificate of the ascertainment of the electors appointed and the preliminary formal statement of the proceedings of the college. [It is now the settled practice for the tellers, having examined the certificates and found them to be regular, to simply announce the result and the number of votes of the State, whatever the result may be, and save the time of reading the papers. No debate is in order during these proceedings. A member who desired to read the language of the law of February 3, 1887, the Chair held the reading to be in the nature of debate. During the announcement of the electoral vote of there were manifestations of applause, when-] THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE. The Chair is obliged to suggest that all manifestations of applause or approval are in contravention of the proprieties of the occasion. They disturb the dignity and decorum which should characterize the great transaction now proceeding in the presence of the American people. The Chair is confident that a repetition of this admonition will be unnesessary. [When the State of was reached ---] THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE. The President of the Senate has received two certificates and two other papers purporting to be certificates from the State of He is required by law to deliver them all, and delivers them to the tellers, who will, if there be no objection, read those certificates which are authenticated by the signatures of the electors certified by the governor of — to have been duly appointed in that State, as appears by the copy of such certificate transmitted to the two Houses of Congress; and will make a list of the votes as they appear therefrom. [There was no objection.] One of the TellERS. The tellers have examined the different certificates presented to them, and they find but one in duplicate that is certified by the governor of the State of over the great seal of that State. It seems to be in due form, received votes for President of votes for Vice-President and by it it appears that the United States, and of the United States. of of received [The tellers then proceeded to announce the electoral votes of the States of to which there was no objection.] The President of THE SENATE. The certificates having now all been opened and read the tellers will deliver the result of the ascertainment and counting of the votes to the President of the Senate. ONE OF THE TELLERS. The tellers on the part of the Senate and House of Representatives report the following as the result of the ascertainment and counting of the electoral votes for President and Vice-President of the United States for the term beginning March 4, The following is the report: List of votes for President and Vice-President of the United States for the constitutional term to commence on the 4th day of March, --. Tellers on the part of the House of Representatives. ONE OF THE TELLERS. The total number of votes cast is ——, of which —, receives for President of the United States of of receives for Vice-President of the United THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE. The state of the vote for President of the United States, as delivered to the President of the Senate, is as follows: The whole number of the electors appointed to vote for President of the United States is ——, has received for President of the United States of which a majority is of the State of votes, and of the State of The state of the vote for Vice-President of the United States, as delivered to the President of the Senate, is as follows: The whole number of the electors appointed to vote for Vice-President of the United States is of which a majority is This announcement of the state of the vote by the President of the Senate shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected President and Vice-President of the United States, each for the term beginning March 4, 19—, and shall be entered, together with a list of the votes, on the Journals of the Senate and House of Representatives. Gentlemen, the great business for which the two Houses of Congress were assembled having been completed, the joint meeting is dissolved. The Senate will now return to its Chamber. 6. THE FINAL PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE. Upon the return of the Senators to their Chamber, and the presiding officer resuming the chair, THE PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate will resume its session. A SENATOR (one of the tellers on behalf of the Senate). Mr. President, the tellers who were appointed on behalf of the Senate, in pursuance of the concurrent resolution of the two Houses, to ascertain the result of the election for President and Vice-President of the United States, beg leave to report that the two Houses met in joint convention in pursuance of the resolution, and that thereupon the certificates of the electors of the various States of their votes for those officers were opened by the President of the Senate and delivered to the tellers; and on being examined it appeared that the votes of the several States had been cast in accordance with the list which I send to the Chair. From these votes it appeared that the whole number of electors appointed to vote for President and Vice-President of the United States for the term of office beginning on the 4th day of March, of which a majority was was state of the vote for President of the United States appeared to be: of the State of of the State of The state of the vote for Vice-President of the United States appeared to be: For For The Which result having been ascertained and counted by the tellers was delivered by them to the Vice-President; whereupon the Vice-President announced the state of the vote to be that votes, and that of the State of votes, and that had received had received votes, for the office of President of the United States; and that State of, had received electoral electoral -, had received votes, for the office of Vice-President of the United States. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. The certificate of the ascertainment and counting of the electoral votes for President and Vice-President of the United States submitted by the tellers will be entered at large upon the Journal of the Senate. The report of the tellers also will be entered upon the Journal. and and and The report of the tellers, as entered on the Journal of the Senate, is as follows: The undersigned, tellers on the part of the Senate, tellers on the part of the House of Representatives, report the following as the result of the ascertainment and counting of the electoral votes of President and Vice-President of the United States for the term beginning March 4, |