# Certificate of Election A **certificate of election** is the document — signed by a governor and/or secretary of state under state law — that formally attests a candidate was elected. For congressional races it is transmitted to the **Clerk of the House** or the **Secretary of the Senate**, and it is the instrument on which a member-elect is placed on the roll and sworn in. The vote total does not seat anyone. The certificate does. Notably, **no federal deadline compels a state official to sign one**, which makes the gap between state certification and issuance of the certificate a structural pressure point. See [[How a Midterm Election Is Certified]]. This is a stub — expand with the historical instances of withheld or disputed certificates. ## See Also - [[How a Midterm Election Is Certified]] - [[Election Certification]]