Vice President Joe Biden on Friday shut down a Democratic challenge to the congressional certification.
“It is over,” he said when the third challenge was lodged by a House Democrat, to a rousing cheer from Republicans.
Biden later gaveled down similar protests from Reps. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, and Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz. Jackson Lee stood four times to protest, but each time was shut down by Biden.
Parliamentary rules prohibit “debate in a joint session,” Biden said at one point. “The objection cannot be entertained” without a senator’s signature, he added.
Democrats were expected to protest Donald Trump’s election, but were not expected to be able to slow down the proceedings significantly because no senators joined House Democrats. Their protests were on grounds varying from complaints that members of the Electoral College in various states were illegitimate, to voting rights violations on Election Day to Russia’s interference in the election.
House members from Florida, Georgia and several other states rose to object but without the sign off from one of their home state senators, Biden rules the protests out of order.
Toward the end of the process, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., stood and asked if any senator would stand with House members, but none did.
But at the end, Biden announced the expected result: Trump got 304 electoral votes, and Hillary Clinton got 227. Just as Biden finished, three protesters interrupted the process and were escorted out of the gallery.
The final tally gave seven electoral votes two other candidates. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell got 3 votes, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Rep. Ron Paul, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Native American activist Faith Spotted Eagle each got one vote.
