INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Republican Indiana Sen. Todd Young said Wednesday he would vote to uphold Democrat Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory, going against President Donald Trump’s push to overturn the presidential election.
Young issued a statement ahead of Wednesday’s joint session of Congress to tally the electoral votes, saying he would “uphold my constitutional duty and certify the will of the states as presented.”
“The people voted and the Electoral College voted. Congress must fulfill its role in turn,” Young said.
Indiana’s other U.S. senator, Republican Mike Braun, has said he will join about a dozen GOP senators vowing to object unless Congress agrees to form a commission to investigate the election.
Young said he supported creating a committee to make recommendations on how states could improve election integrity, but that states are responsible for conducting elections.
“I strongly supported President Trump and his agenda the last four years. I campaigned hard for him,” Young said. “But upon assuming this office, I took a solemn, inviolable oath to support and defend our Constitution, just as I did as a United States Marine. I will not violate that oath.”
The complete statement"
“As Congress meets to formally receive the votes of the Electoral College, I will uphold my Constitutional duty and certify the will of the states as presented. The people voted and the Electoral College voted. Congress must fulfill its role in turn.
"Like so many of my patriotic constituents and colleagues, I too wish the results of this election were different. I strongly supported President Trump and his agenda the last four years. I campaigned hard for him. But upon assuming this office, I took a solemn, inviolable oath to support and defend our Constitution, just as I did as a United States Marine. I will not violate that oath.
“Congress’ role in the presidential election process is narrow by design. The states are responsible for their own elections, and for determining the resulting electors. Congress has no authority to do anything other than certify states’ Electoral College votes as reported. For Congress to supplant the will of a state’s certified electors for its own would be unconstitutional and set a dangerous precedent, damaging the integrity of and future respect for the Electoral College. This is not an empty warning. Democrats have already shown the political will to subvert our institutions through calls to pack the Supreme Court, eliminate the filibuster to weaken the Senate, and abolish the Electoral College itself. It would be a grave mistake to join them in this effort.
“However, with several states implementing various changes to their systems of election integrity this year, I see value in establishing a bipartisan Election Integrity Committee charged with reviewing the 2020 election and making recommendations to state legislatures to improve the security, integrity, and administration of federal elections. That’s why I will join my colleague Senator Tim Scott in introducing legislation that would create such a committee. We must ensure appropriate safeguards are in place at the state and local level, similar to those we have in Indiana, to restore voters’ trust.”
