ON January 6, 2021, Congress will formally validate the Electoral College votes.

As is written in the US Code of Law, "Congress shall be in a session on the sixth day of January succeeding every meeting of the electors."

What happens on January 6?

January 6 will see the congressional joint session to count electoral votes.

The congressional count is the final step in reaffirming Biden’s win after the Electoral College vote officially elected him on December 14.

The congressional electoral college vote meeting is required by the US constitution.

How does it work?

By federal law, Congress will meet on January 6 to open sealed certificates from each state that will contain a record of their electoral votes.

"Bipartisan representatives of both chambers read the results out loud and do an official count," writes the Chicago Tribune.

"The president of the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence, presides over the session and declares the winner."

The two chambers meet at midday to count the votes.

Pence will  open and present the certificates of the electoral votes in alphabetical order of the states.

The appointed tellers from each chamber will read their certificate out loud and count the votes.

If the vice president cannot lead the session, there is precedent for the Senate pro-tempore, or the longest-serving senator in the majority party, to lead.

The longest-serving American senator is Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa.

What does the US Constitution require?

The Constitution requires the congressional January 6 meet to count and declare Electoral College votes.

If there is a tie, the House decides the presidency, with each congressional delegation having one vote.

Biden’s electoral win over Trump was decisive, 306-232.

What happens if there's an objection?

Some Republicans have announced they will officially object to the results.

America's youngest senator Josh Hawley announced that he will contest the electoral college vote certification.

The senator's objection would ensure a debate and vote in the House and Senate on the Electoral College results, according to The Hill.

“I cannot vote to certify the electoral college results on January 6 without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws," Hawley said in a statement.

"And I cannot vote to certify without pointing out the unprecedented effort of mega-corporations, including Facebook and Twitter, to interfere in this election, in support of Joe Biden.

"At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections. But Congress has so far failed to act," Hawley added.

Hawley's announcement comes after a group of House conservatives lead by Republican representative Mo Brooks pledged to make a bid to overturn the results of the presidential election.

"In order to force a debate and a vote on their objection to a state's results House members need the support of a senator who will also object — something they didn't have before Hawley's announcement," writes The Hill.

Several backers of President Trump will join Missouri's Hawley in rejecting Biden, with more to follow when Congress reconvenes to formally validate the Electoral College votes on Jan 6.

Contrary to President Trump's baseless claims of a "rigged election," the Justice Department has concluded that it has found no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.

What happens after Congress counts the votes?

Vice President Pence will announce who has won the majority votes for both president and vice president once the votes have been counted.

Inauguration day is January 20, 2021, the day President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be sworn into office.

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