Vice President Biden, who was presiding over the proceedings, ruled McGovern's objection out of order because it wasn't backed by a senator.





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Any lawmaker can offer an objection during the Electoral College counting process, but it must be endorsed by a member of both the House and Senate.





As Jayapal tried to make her case, Biden cut in: "There is no debate, and if it's not signed by a senator the objection cannot be entertained."

Three outside protesters yelling about "voter suppression" were removed from the chamber by Capitol Police.

But without objections from any Democratic senators, the process went swiftly and was over in under an hour, the final step in making Trump's White House win official.

The House chamber was mostly filled with Republicans on Friday. The Democratic side of the chamber was less than half full, and one section appeared to be filled entirely by Senate pages.





The congressional session to count the Electoral College votes is usually a routine affair. But this year it turned into a more contentious process — not unlike the Electoral College vote last month, when some liberal activists lobbied GOP electors to vote against Trump since he lost the popular vote.