WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina says he plans to listen and participate in the Electoral College certification process scheduled to begin on Wednesday.
Rice spoke to the Morning News about the Electoral College certification process by phone on Monday afternoon.
Rice, a Republican, has represented South Carolina's Seventh Congressional District since it was recreated in 2012. He was reelected in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020.
The Electoral College is the final step in the election of a president and a vice president.
Basically, each state holds an election for president. The party of the candidate receiving the most votes gets to nominate electors. Each state nominates the same number of electors as members of its Congressional delegation. Those electors then cast a state's votes for president. The electors' votes are then counted and certified by Congress.
South Carolina has nine electors: two Senators and seven Representatives. South Carolina cast its votes for Republican Donald Trump.
There's a push from Trump and 12 Republican senators for Congress to reject the votes of states − Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and possibly others − where they believe that enough election fraud happened to change the popular vote in these states to favor Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Sen. Ted Cruz, one of the 12 Republicans, has called for the formation of a commission to investigate the allegations in those states.
Rice said he had not yet staked out a position on the allegations of election improprieties or a decision to object or not.
"I take it very seriously," he said Monday by phone.
He added that he planned to listen and participate in the debate.
"An awful lot of people are disappointed in the outcome of the presidential election," Rice said. "It's unfortunate that this is being viewed as a solution."
He added that there was very little chance of a commission being formed because the Democratically-controlled House of Representatives would have to vote in favor of doing so.
Rice said Republican efforts were more of a protest vote but added that he was happy that the allegations were shining light on election improprieties and that maybe Congress could work to clean up the country's elections.
Rice is the latest member of the Pee Dee's Congressional delegation to comment on the certification process.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of South Carolina's two senators, said he would listen closely to the objections of his colleagues in challenging the results of this election.
Graham also said his colleagues need to provide proof the allegations of election improprieties.
“They will also need to provide clear and convincing evidence that the failure to act – in both the state and federal courts and the states legislatures which investigated these claims – was made in error," Graham continued. "They will also need to show that the failure to take corrective action in addressing election fraud changed the outcome of these states’ votes and ultimately the outcome of the election. My colleagues will have the opportunity to make this case, and I will listen closely. But they have a high bar to clear.”
Graham also said the commission proposal was not an effective proposal to fight for Trump.
"It appears to be more of a political dodge than an effective remedy," Graham said in a statement issued Sunday.
Sen. Tim Scott has not yet commented on the Republican efforts.
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn is a Democrat and would very likely be opposed to Republican efforts to delay or stop the electoral vote certification process.
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