The student news site of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.

Scot Scoop News

The student news site of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.

Scot Scoop News

The student news site of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.

Scot Scoop News

Republican Congress members unsuccessfully vote against presidential election results

A+graph+to+visualize+the+results+of+the+Congress+vote.
Keegan Balster
The recent Congress vote on whether to confirm or reject the outcome of the presidential election resulted in 147 Republican members voting to reject.

After the unprecedented Capitol riot two weeks ago, President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election was confirmed by Congress.  

Before the confirmation, the Senate and House of Representatives held a final vote to overturn the election potentially. The election resulted in 147 Republican Congress members, including eight senators and 139 representatives, voting to overturn at least one of these outcomes of the election.

These Congress members are facing condemnation from the people, corporate America, and their colleagues in both parties in Congress.

To many Americans, a democratic presidential election is the basis of what the country stands for. These people see the wish to undo the election results as acts against the country itself.

“Democrats who are deciding who to choose as their Republican lead on bills will be wise to choose members who voted for the election results,” a Democratic committee aide said. “Committees will not be rewarding members who voted against election results — clearly those members are not interested in governing.”

This is an example of efforts in Congress to punish members who voted to overturn the results.  Some Democrats wish to go even further and prevent these Congresspeople from having their names on any bills passed.

And Democrats aren’t the only ones condemning or suppressing Congress members who voted against the election either.  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has also spoken out against his fellow party members.

“We’ll either hasten down a poisonous path where only the winners of an election actually accept the results or show we can still muster the patriotic courage that our forebears showed, not only in victory but in defeat,” McConnell said.

With other Republicans joining in support of McConnell, the condemnation of Republicans who voted against the election results is surprisingly bipartisan.

Many constituents of the Congress members who rejected election results are requesting the removal of their representative from office, supporting the efforts of other Congresspeople.

In St. Louis, Missouri, protests are calling for the resignation of Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican Congress member who voted against the results of the election.  Many other states are facing similar situations.

Winston Singh, a moderate Carlmont sophomore, agrees with these petitioners.

“People who voted to overturn the election should be ashamed of what they have done, going against the foundations of our democracy,” Singh said.

Much of corporate America has added its approval to efforts in opposition to those who voted to overturn the election.

Numerous companies have removed financial support from Congresspeople who opposed the election results or from all politicians as a whole.  Notable companies include Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, and Disney.

However, the Congress members themselves are adamant that they have done nothing wrong.  Instead, they posit that they were only doing their duty.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, who faced harsh criticisms from his constituents, responded by insisting that he had a Constitutional duty to vote against Biden.

While there have always been Congress members who have voted to annul an election’s results, it has never been to this scale.  

The refusal to accept the election results has worked in tandem with the growing split between Democrats and Republicans both in the government and among the people to cast doubt on American democracy’s future.

Ethan Htun, a sophomore at Carlmont High School, is among those who feel this uncertainty.  

“Rejecting a fairly conducted election with only inconsequential ‘proof’ suggesting otherwise sets a terrible precedent that threatens the longstanding norm of a peaceful transition of power,” Htun said.

Navigate Left
Navigate Right
About the Contributors
Keegan Balster, Staff Writer
Keegan Balster is a junior at Carlmont High School, and this is his second year in the journalism program. He is a percussionist/drummer in the Carlmont Symphony Orchestra and plays for the Carlmont badminton team. Twitter: @bokchoiboi28
Zachary Kinder, Staff Writer
Zachary Kinder is a junior at Carlmont High School, and this is his second year in writing for ScotScoop.  His passion is writing-it was his drive for improvement that led him to journalism class in sophomore year, and the love for journalism that blossomed there brought him to continue his journalistic journey.  When not reading or writing, Zachary runs for the Carlmont Track and Cross Country teams and enjoys Star Wars, anime, and the works of Tolkien.   Twitter: @ZakKinder

Comments (0)

We invite comments and responses to our content. Comments that are deemed appropriate and relevant will be published.
All Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Activate Search
The student news site of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.
Republican Congress members unsuccessfully vote against presidential election results