President-elect Donald Trump‘s electoral victory over Vice President Kamala Harris moves one step forward on Wednesday, which is when states are expected to issue certificates of ascertainment.
This is the latest step between the Nov. 5 election and the Jan. 20 inauguration that allows President Joe Biden‘s administration to transition to a second Trump term.
In the meantime, Trump has announced the majority of his Cabinet picks and is working to ensure they survive Senate confirmation hearings.
Here are the top dates to remember before Trump begins his second presidential term.
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Dec. 11 — Certificates of ascertainment
Wednesday is the deadline for all states to confirm their election results through the certificates of ascertainment. Each certificate contains the slate of electors for each presidential candidate, along with the number of votes received by each candidate; normally, this is the popular vote.
State executives prepare seven certificates of ascertainment and send one copy to the United States Archivist. This must come at least six days before electors meet.
Dec. 17 — Electors vote
Electors from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., will meet in their capitols to cast votes for the president and vice president on separate ballots.
The votes are recorded on six certificates of vote that are then paired with the six remaining certificates of ascertainment. According to the U.S. National Archives, a set of electoral votes consists of one certificate of ascertainment and one certificate of vote.
After the electors sign, seal, and certify the six sets of electoral votes, they must then be sent to the president of the Senate and the Archivist no later than the fourth Wednesday of December, which is Dec. 25.
Meanwhile, Congress must pass legislation funding the government by Dec. 20 to avoid a government shutdown.
Jan. 3 — Congress is sworn in, Archivist transfers certificates to Congress
On Jan. 3, the 119th Congress is sworn into office, giving the GOP control over both the House and Senate.
Simultaneously, the Archivist must transmit sets of certificates to Congress on or before Jan. 3. According to the Archives, this usually happens in late December or early January when the Office of the Federal Register’s legal staff meets with representatives of the Secretary of the Senate, the Clerk of the House, and Congressional Parliamentarians.
Jan. 6 — Congress counts electoral votes
Three days after swearing in, the 119th Congress will meet in a joint session and count the electoral votes.
Harris, as the president of the Senate, will then announce the president and vice president of the election. She is the second vice president to lose a presidential campaign and preside over the process after Vice President Al Gore in 2001.
At least one-fifth of the House and one-fifth of Senators must submit in writing any objections they have to the election results, although that is unlikely to happen on the GOP side after Trump’s decisive victory.
Most people likely didn’t pay much attention to this step in the process until after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot when supporters of Trump attempted to block the certification of the 2020 election.
In response, Congress passed the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022, which raised a higher bar on challenging a state’s election results.
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Jan. 20 — Trump is inaugurated
Trump’s second term as president will officially begin on Jan. 20 at noon when he takes the oath of office.
Vice President-elect J.D. Vance will also be sworn into office on Jan. 20, when the GOP will have a governing trifecta over the White House and Congress.