[mrsmith]

“VPOTUS could simply ignore certificates from a governor contrary to those sent by the legislature.”
No.
We have a Constitution.
That Constitution says he *SHALL* open *ALL* envelopes of submitted Electors.
“Shall” and “all” haven’t changed in meaning since our Founding LOL!
VP has NO discretion- maybe in your ‘living document’ world LOL!

[Dr. Franklin]

That Constitution says he *SHALL* open *ALL* envelopes of submitted Electors.

The Twelfth Amendment did not anticipate competing slates of electors. They were expected to be selected by the legislature, not the governor. There is no constitutional provision for getting more than one slate of electors. It was not anticipated. VPOTUS receives them, and implicitly makes preliminary determinations.