2020 election deniers on the ballot for key offices in battleground states
PBS News Hour – Politics — 2026-08-18 17:40:00 — www.pbs.org
Donald Trump Pressured Pence to Reject 2020 Electoral Votes, Prompting Congressional Reform
Donald Trump pressured Vice President Mike Pence to reject certified electors during the 2020 presidential election, a move that has since led to significant changes in how Congress handles the certification of electoral votes. According to reporting, Trump at the time was actively pushing Pence to overturn the election results, despite the vice president’s role being strictly ministerial.
This pressure campaign was a key factor in the events of January 6, 2021, when the Capitol was stormed as Congress met to certify the election results. In response, Congress passed the Electoral Count Reform Act in December 2022. The new legislation clarifies that the vice president does not have the authority to reject electors, directly addressing the false claims and demands made by Trump. The law also raises the threshold for members of Congress to object to state election results, aiming to prevent a repeat of the chaos that unfolded during the 2020 certification process.
Trump’s insistence that Pence could overturn the election results was not grounded in law or the Constitution. The bipartisan reforms enacted by Congress make it clear that such actions are not permissible, reinforcing the integrity of the electoral process and limiting opportunities for future attempts to subvert certified election outcomes.
The aftermath of Trump’s actions continues to influence American politics, as election denialism has become more mainstream within the Republican Party. The changes to the certification process serve as a direct response to the misinformation and pressure campaigns that characterized the end of Trump’s presidency, underscoring the ongoing impact of his false claims about the 2020 election.