[Ads-l] "Ascertainment" - a technical election term

[Mark Mandel]

It sounds like they think it's formal legalese for "declaration" or
"announcement".

On Tue, Nov 17, 2020, 12:47 PM Andy Bach <afbach at gmail.com> wrote:

> I saw the headline
> GSA to Ascertain Biden as Presidential Election Winner
>
> and I thought that was an odd use of ascertain, which I think of more
> as discover rather than certify. A number of articles mention the fact
> that GSA has not made an "ascertainment"  or have the headline "What is
> ascertainment".
>
> Apparently it's in the 1963 Presidential Transition Act
> https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-78/pdf/STATUTE-78-Pg153.pdf
> The terms "President-elect" and "Vice-President-elect" as used in this Act
> shall mean such persons as are the apparent successful candidates for the
> office of President and Vice President, respectively, as _ascertained_ by
> the Administrator following the general elections held to determine the
> electors of President and Vice President in accordance with title 3, United
> States Code
>
> Though not as a noun.
>
> --
>
> a
>
> Andy Bach,
> afbach at gmail.com
> 608 658-1890 cell
> 608 261-5738 wk
>

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