[rdcbn1]

It was within Pence’s authority to send the results back for audit. If you study the drafting process of the Constitution, it's obvious that the founding fathers were highly skeptical of governmental power and it’s potential corruption and were obsessed with checks and balances. They did not have to have the outgoing VP formally receive and certify the votes. They could have just had the election certified via some other method. Pretty obvious they wanted the certification of the election by the outgoing VP as a final check and balance against exactly what happened in November 2020.

[semimojo]

...the founding fathers were highly skeptical of governmental power and it’s potential corruption and were obsessed with checks and balances....

...they wanted the certification of the election by the outgoing VP as a final check and balance...

If they were worried about the central government's power why would the want an agent of that government, the VP, to be able to override the states' certified selection of electors?