Rooney Center Director and Professor of Constitutional Studies and Political Science Matthew E.K. Hall was quoted in a USA Today piece on February 1, 2022. The article, entitled “Fact check: Mike Pence did not have the power to overturn 2020 election results, keep Trump in office,” addresses recent assertions by former president Donald Trump that former VP Mike Pence had the constitutional authority to alter the 2020 election results.
“Any claim that the vice president can unilaterally overturn the results of a presidential election is patently absurd,” Matthew Hall, a professor of constitutional studies and political science at the University of Notre Dame said via email.
“If the vice president had total discretion to overturn election results, the party that controls the White House could simply refuse to surrender power when they lose an election. Such an arrangement would completely undermine the integrity of our democratic system.”
Visit Matt Hall’s Expert Profile for his areas of expertise and contact information.
Originally published by The Rooney Center at rooneycenter.nd.edu on February 02, 2022.
