A concurrent resolution to provide for the counting on January 6, 2025, of the electoral votes for President and Vice President of the United States.

119th Congress Introduced by John Thune

Sets the joint session on Jan 6, 2025 to open, read, and count electoral certificates, with tellers, in alphabetical state order, and announce the results.

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

Purpose

S. Con. Res. 2 is a concurrent resolution that sets the time, place, and basic procedures for the meeting of both Houses of Congress to count the electoral votes for President and Vice President of the United States for the 2024 presidential election. It establishes the January 6, 2025, joint session at which electoral certificates will be opened, read, and the results announced.

Key provisions

Sets the joint session to meet in the Hall of the House of Representatives on Monday, January 6, 2025, at 1:00 p.m..

Designates the President of the Senate (the Vice President of the United States) as the Presiding Officer for the proceeding.

Directs that two tellers be appointed in advance by:

the President of the Senate (on behalf of the Senate), and
the Speaker (on behalf of the House).

Provides that all certificates and papers purporting to be electoral vote certificates shall be handed to the tellers as they are opened by the President of the Senate.

Specifies that certificates will be opened, presented, and acted upon in alphabetical order of the States, beginning with the letter “A.”

Requires the tellers to read the certificates in the presence of both Houses and to make a list of the votes as shown by the certificates.

States that once the votes are ascertained and counted in accordance with applicable constitutional and statutory rules, the result will be delivered to the President of the Senate, who will announce the state of the vote; that announcement is to be entered on the Journals of both Houses and is to be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons, if any, elected President and Vice President.

Who is affected

Members of the House and Senate, including the President of the Senate and Speaker.

The two tellers from each chamber charged with receiving and reading certificates.

State officials and electors, whose certified electoral vote certificates are the documents to be opened and counted.

No private parties are directly regulated; this is a congressional, procedural resolution implementing the constitutionally prescribed electoral count.

Procedural status and timeline

Introduced in the Senate on January 3, 2025 by Senator John Thune (primary sponsor).

Considered and agreed to by the Senate by Unanimous Consent on January 3, 2025.

Received, considered, and agreed to without objection by the House on January 3, 2025 (motion to reconsider laid on the table).

As a concurrent resolution governing internal congressional proceedings, it does not require the President’s signature and is not legislation that creates binding law beyond congressional procedure.

Context/Notes

This resolution follows long-standing practice for convening the joint session to count electoral votes under the Constitution and federal statutes. Its effect is procedural: it organizes how and when Congress will perform its constitutionally mandated count of electoral certificates on January 6, 2025.

Bill