Mid-Missouri House members plan to object to Electoral College count
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Two U.S. House members representing parts of Mid-Missouri will object to the counting of Electoral College votes in a joint congressional session Wednesday, according to a statement posted on a congressman's website.
Reps. Vicky Hartzler (R-Harrisonville) and Sam Graves (R-Tarkio) joined Reps. Jason Smith (R-Salem) and Billy Long (R-Springfield) in putting their names on the joint statement issued Thursday. Smith posted the statement on his official House site.
In the statement, the Congress members say they plan to object to the count and certification of electoral votes to declare the president and vice president because of allegations of fraud and other election issues. President Donald Trump has pushed his allies to raise objections during the joint session Wednesday and U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) pledged this week to raise an objection in the Senate.
Objections in each chamber would lead to two hours of debate and votes on those objections.
"The reported results of this past November's Presidential election don't even pass the most basic eye test," the House members said in the statement. "Republicans were projected to lose seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, we gained more than a dozen. Republicans were supposed to lose control of several state legislatures, we picked up multiple. We were projected to lose control of the United States Senate - we didn't, and we won't. All of this occurred on the same night President Trump lost? It's hard to believe."
Many experts believe those objections won't hold up with a House controlled by Democrats and several Republican senators already acknowledging Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's win. The House members who signed onto Thursday's statement said they know their chances are slim.
"We have no illusions about the outcome, at the end of the day, this is still Nancy Pelosi's House. Our only hope is that more will join us - that more will value protecting the vote of every American living in their state as much as we do fighting for yours," the House members wrote.
Biden defeated Trump with 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232. Trump and his supporters have waged an unsuccessful legal campaign to get votes tossed out in several swing states.
The House members mentioned some of those states -- Georgia, Pennsylvania and Nevada -- in their statement Thursday.
Hartzler represents the Fourth Congressional District, which includes part of Audrain, Boone, Howard, Cooper, Randolph and Morgan counties. Graves represents the Sixth Congressional District that includes Chariton and part of Audrain counties.
