From counting the votes to taking the oath... What happens before the new US Congress begins its work?

It is now clear that Democrats won control of Congress in the US midterm elections held on Tuesday, but there are still some votes that have not yet been counted. It is still too early to announce the winner in the Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi, and the results of 71 races for House seats have not yet been decided.

It may take weeks before the official results of the elections are announced. According to the Campaign Legal Center, there are several legal and administrative procedures that must be taken after the elections, which are counting the votes, certifying the results, and taking the constitutional oath and assuming office for the elected members.

During the counting phase, local election officials count all votes cast within their jurisdiction, including votes cast during the early voting period, by mail, and on Election Day. Each state then sends a list of election winners to Congress.

Before the new Congress convenes in January, the winning candidates typically head to Washington, D.C., to participate in an orientation program for new members, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. After the elections, Congress will meet with its new composition in early January, as stipulated in the Constitution.

On the first day of Congress, elected members elect a new Speaker of the House, according to the Campaign Law Center. The candidate for the position of Speaker of the Council must obtain a majority of the votes cast to win the position.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is expected to assume the next presidency. After the Speaker of the House of Representatives is chosen, the elected Senators and all members of the House of Representatives take the constitutional oath and then begin exercising their duties.

According to the Congressional Research Service, on the first day of Congress, the House of Representatives often adopts “resolutions appointing some or a large number of its members to committees.” This process usually continues for several more weeks.

As for the majority and minority leaders in the Senate, along with other party officials responsible for managing business affairs within the Senate, they are elected “during closed meetings held by the relevant party blocs, and their election is not submitted for ratification during the Senate sessions,” according to the Bilateral Policy Center.