Georgia GOP representative: "Our elections should be decertified"

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer walks to the House Chamber on Monday. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said that they are expecting up to six states’ electoral college votes to be challenged on Wednesday, but that “it depends on how quickly they get tired of playing this game” and the number could drop as the hours grow.

“This a very unique unprecedented action to undermine our Democracy,” he said. “I don't know how many there will be. And I don't know how tired members will get of having these challenges.”

Here's what we know about the process:

Each House challenge that is supported by a member of the Senate automatically sets up to two hours of debate in each chamber, followed by a vote on the challenge.

Both chambers would have to agree to invalidate a state’s electoral college count, and with the Democratic majority in the House, and a number of Republicans in the Senate saying they will not support a challenge, the votes will fail.

Hoyer said that House is working to maintain more safety protocols for Wednesday’s joint session to certify the Electoral College, but acknowledges that keeping what could be 535 members in compliance will not be easy.

“It is tough, but we're going to admonish them again. And all of us break the rule, unfortunately .. because that's the normal way we respond,” he said. “We also think we're wearing masks, we might be safe."

Hoyer added: “But what we will do is admonish members to stay apart, don't get close to one another.”

Contrary to the rules that governed the Opening Session in the House – which limited the number of members on the floor to 72, but was rendered moot when a majority of the House gathered en masse on the floor following a call for a recorded vote by Rep. Chip Roy — there won’t be a limit on the number of people in the chamber on Wednesday, according to a senior Democratic aide.

The House will deploy the same mitigation measures that have been in place — mandated mask wearing while on the floor, marking off seats to maintain social distancing, and opening the gallery for members to spread out. And, according to the rules governing the certification, members are not required to be in the chamber, and are encouraged to watch the proceedings from their offices. However, the aide said, few members are expected to want to miss the debate, and leadership is expecting a very full chamber.

Voting, when it occurs, will happen in the same seven blocks that were used during Sunday’s roll call vote.