No Transition Processes Until President-Elect Is Determined – U.S. General Services Administration

12th November 2020
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Unic Press UK: There’s yet no clear winner of the United States Presidential Election 2020. So the General Services Administration (GSA) would not commence any power transition processes until a winner is determined in line with the U.S. Constitution, said GSA spokesperson Pamela Pennington.

“The GSA spokesperson, Pamela Pennington, said: “An ascertainment has not yet been made. There are no updates at this time and GSA’s position remains the same. An ascertainment has not yet been made. GSA and its administrator will continue to abide by, and fulfill, all requirements under the law and adhere to prior precedent established by the Clinton Administration in 2000,” reports CNN.

Clearly, the U.S. Presidential Election 2020, which was held on 3 November, has yet to produce a clear winner. Ballot counting is still ongoing; and there are a series of court cases challenging the election and the vote tally in many states’, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. Besides, the State of Georgia has announced a full by-hand recount of ballots.

Many notable news organisations have called the election, announcing Joe Biden of the Democratic Party as the winner/president-elect. However, President Donald Trump of the Republican Party insists that the process is not concluded until all the “legal” votes are counted.

Unic Press UK in a statement sent on Sunday, 8 November 2020, said it has not called the election nor projected a winner, because ballot counting are ongoing and there is a lot of cases in court. Besides, no state has issued a certificate of vote; and the electoral college had yet to decide the winner.

What is the role of GSA in the presidential transition?

The General Services Administration (GSA) is the federal agency which oversees the transition of power.

Once a presidential election result is determined, and a winner is declared, the GSA is expected to start a transition process. In order to start a process for the transfer of power to a president-elect, the federal law stipulates that the GSA, via its administrator, should first issue a letter of “ascertainment” which determines the likely winner of a presidential race.

After a letter of ascertainment, this federal agency, GSA begins other formal processes, and provides a presidential transition team with office spaces. The GSA would coordinate/ensure an easy access to federal agencies, and facilitate the release of funds to the president-elect’s transition team.