[entropy12]

Your view is too simplistic. Need deeper gravitas on your part. If you think deeper, you may realize it.

So I will help you a bit. There is a reason why the US Constitution (UC) stipulates that only the VP is assigned this task of counting LEGAL & OFFICIAL elector counts. Why does UC say that? Any clerk can add electoral votes. Clerks in Senate & House add votes everyday.

So by a little deeper thinking, you might realize the UC wants only the Vice President to do the job of tabulating the electoral votes is because VP is likely to be more familiar (than just a clerk) if the elections in each states were carried out properly, legally and without mischief or fraud.

The UC intent clearly is to accept only electors resulting from clean and legal elections.

So....the VP can put electors from questionable states ON HOLD for further evaluation by SCOTUS or some other congressional committee.

I hope you can now understand the VP role on Jan 6th is not merely clerical.

[Alberta's Child]

So by a little deeper thinking, you might realize the UC wants only the Vice President to do the job of tabulating the electoral votes is because VP is likely to be more familiar (than just a clerk) if the elections in each states were carried out properly, legally and without mischief or fraud.

Your view isn't simplistic enough.

The VP presides over the joint session of Congress because the Constitution explicitly names the VP as the President of the Senate. As far as I know, it is the one and only case where the executive branch of the U.S. government can exert any authority over the legislative branch -- and even then the Constitution only gives the VP a Senate vote to break a tie.