Rounds Statement Following the Formal Count of the Electoral College Votes by Congress

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) made the following statement on the formal count of the Electoral College votes by Congress:

“Going into the joint session, I said I would keep an open mind and listen to the objections and evidence presented. Despite the unacceptable attack on the U.S. Capitol, we pressed forward and I kept my promise.

“I take very seriously Congress’ role in certifying the Electoral College, as outlined in the Constitution and the Electoral Count Act. After much consideration, it was my determination that the objectors did not present the necessary evidence or actions profound enough to gain my support. In fact, they presented no new facts whatsoever.

“Absent overwhelming evidence of constitutional violations in an election process, objecting to the Electoral College vote count is dangerous and unwise. It flies in the face of our Founding Fathers, who intended individual states to operate their own election processes and entrusted the adjudication of election disputes to the courts.

“I’ve talked to many South Dakotans and heard many of the concerns about the irregularities in this election, ranging from fraud to technological errors and questionable processes.

“In South Dakota, we do our elections right. Our voters can trust the integrity of our election process and know their vote will be counted.  However, this is also a states rights issue, a constitutionally-protected issue. Asking the federal government to upend state elections would have profound and negative consequences on every American.    

“As I said previously, my decision was based on the Constitution, not political expediency. The reality is that refusing to certify the election results had no viable path to actually changing the outcome of the election. Even so, Americans’ faith in our electoral process is in jeopardy, and we must get to the bottom of the allegations of voting irregularities that continue to exist. That is why I support a full, comprehensive investigation into the 2020 election.

“I recently agreed to cosponsor a bill to create a 2020 Bipartisan Advisory Committee that will study the integrity and administration of the election of November 2020 and make recommendations to state legislatures to improve the security, integrity and administration of federal elections.”