Four Republican members of the Kansas Congressional delegation plan to object when Congress meets Wednesday to certify the Electoral College.
Rep. Ron Estes of Wichita says he will join Tracey Mann and Jake LaTurner in objecting to the presidential vote counts in certain states where President Donald Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden in November.
Both Mann and LaTurner were sworn into office Sunday. Mann represents western Kansas in the 1st District, and LaTurner represents Topeka and southeast Kansas in the 2nd District.
Estes is beginning his second full term in the House.
Federal courts, including the Supreme Court, have dismissed numerous claims brought by the Trump administration of voter fraud during the election. Various election officials across the country and Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have said there was no widespread fraud.
"This action is not taken lightly and comes after extensive study and research," Estes said in a statement about his plans to object. "Kansans deserve to know that all legal, and only legal, votes were counted.
"We hope our actions begin to restore the confidence of tens of millions of our fellow Americans that feel their sacred right to vote is under attack."
Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, who also was sworn into office Sunday, has previously said he would object to the certification and ask for debate on the issue. He joins 11 other Republican senators who are ignoring calls from the party’s leadership to not object.
"We must hold accountable any state that disregarded the law or our constitution," Marshall posted on Twitter over the weekend. "The Electoral College is only as strong as the states who are entrusted to follow election laws. That is why I will be supporting objection and debate next week."
We must hold accountable any state that disregarded the law or our constitution. The Electoral College is only as strong as the states who are entrusted to follow election laws. That is why I will be supporting objection and debate next week.
— Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) January 2, 2021
Sen. Jerry Moran, the other Republican member of the state’s federal delegation, has previously said the election outcome is settled and that Democrat Joe Biden is the next president. He wrote in an op-ed in the Manhattan Mercury on Tuesday that he will vote to certify Biden's win.
Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas City is the state’s lone Democrat in Congress and is expected to vote for certification.
Objections from Republicans in the House and Senate are expected to delay but not prevent the final certification of Biden as president.
