Following the intense and rigid elections which left Joe Biden and Kamala Harris the projected President and Vice President of the nation, defeating the incumbent President, Donald Trump.
The duo, will however, not take over the helms of affairs until January, 2020. Here are a few things that will take place before and during the inauguration.
1. On the 8th of December, 2020, all election disputes at the state level must be resolved. This means all state recounts and court contests over the results must be completed by the said date. Less than a week later, on 14th December, each of the electors will cast their ballot in the state capitol and in D.C.
2. On the 6th of January, 2021, both chambers of Congress — the House of Representatives and the Senate — will hold a joint session during which members will count the electoral votes. If one candidate has more than 270, Pence will announce the results. If neither candidate wins 270, the House of Representatives ultimately decides who is elected.
3. On Wednesday 20th January, the inauguration will take place on the west front of the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Each elected US president’s term starts at noon on that day, according to the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. The president-elect is required to take the oath of office before assuming duties. Following the presidential swearing-in ceremony, Joe Biden will deliver his inaugural address.
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4. No exact air time has been announced yet but the inauguration is likely to be streamed by every major news station, in addition to being shared on platforms like Facebook Live, Twitter and YouTube. There is also an option to watch on the National Mall, where there are typically giant screens showing what’s going on at the Capitol.
5. The inauguration is free to attend, but attendees will need to get a ticket, including kids and infants which can be requested through the office of their US Senator or representative by filling out a form on their site. The tickets are said to be granted on a first-come, first-serve basis, and the deadline for request is 1st January. Each state, however, set a limit on how many tickets a group can request. Rob Portman, US senator and Republican from Ohio said on his website, “At this time, our office is not aware of any restrictions to the inaugural ceremonies that may be caused by COVID-19. We will provide those updates to our website as they become available.”
6. As Trump hasn’t yet conceded, it’s unclear whether he will be in attendance. Traditionally, all living former Presidents and Vice Presidents do attend the inauguration of the president-elect, which includes the unseated president, as well as presidents from previous terms. The outgoing president, Trump, in this case, will welcome the president-elect and vice-president-elect to the White House.
7. Inaugurations typically include appearances by A-list musicians and performers. Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, for instance, featured Aretha Franklin, while his second had Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson. Trump’s inauguration featured a performance by America’s Got Talent winner Jackie Evancho. Politicians and religious leaders, including archbishops, pastors and rabbis also usually give speeches but Joe Biden’s inauguration, no speakers or performers have been announced.
8. The president-elect Joe Biden has said one of his biggest priorities is working to tackle COVID-19, hence, Joe Biden and Harris have already announced the formation of a COVID-19 advisory board to help shape the upcoming administration’s response to the pandemic. The board consists of 13 public health experts and will be led by co-chairs Dr. David Kessler, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner; Dr. Vivek Murthy, a former US surgeon general; and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, a researcher at Yale university. Biden has also unveiled a plan that aims to ensure the US achieves a 100% clean-energy economy and net-zero emissions by 2050. During the presidential debates, Biden promised to get the US back into the Paris climate deal, which the US withdrew from under Trump. He reiterated that promise in his climate plan.
