2 U.S.C. § 1b : The Congress — Election Of Senators And Representatives — Countersignature Of Certificate Of Election Date: 14 Dec 2016 TEXT PDF The certificate mentioned in section 1a of this title shall be countersigned by the secretary of state of the State. (R.S. § 19.) Codification R.S. § 19 derived from act July 25, 1866, ch. 245, § 3, 14 Stat. 244.