The Constitution is full of checks and balances. The VP acceptance and reading of the electors is a check and balance - and not destroying the Constitution.
The constitution doesn't give Pence the authority to approve the electoral slate. It just has him act as a secretary and recite what the votes say. It's like having Linda from HR read out who won the office ugly sweater contest. She doesn't actually get to throw out the votes and decides who wins.
In the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson, one of the principal influencers of the drafting of the Constitution, interpreted the document in allowing him to determine electors as he served as VP, thereby electing him President. There is historic precedence for this interpretation. Whether or not Pence has the balls remains to be seen. Side note - probably not.
Jefferson and Burr were both on the same ticket as Pres and VP (against John Adams and Charles Pickering). When Jefferson tied with Adams, the vote when to the Congress and they were able under previous rules to nominate any of the 4 candidates for president. Jefferson and Burr were more popular than Adams/Pickering and were tied with 73 electors a piece. This resulted in a contingent election where the states had to choose and Hamilton was able to get a people to switch votes from Adams/Pickering to to Jefferson in like the 3rd round of voting. Jefferson didn't determine any electors. He was a candidate and Hamilton's pushing the vote is what got Jefferson nominated. This angered Burr which is one of the foundations for the famous duel.
This occurred 4 years before the 12th amendment was ratified which changed the process for how elections are resolved to avoid this in the future.
Would you happen to be jewish?
Nope. American.
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