Final answer:
The role of the Vice President when counting electoral votes before Congress is largely ceremonial without substantive powers. They open the certificates but do not have the authority to accept, reject, or decide which electoral votes to count.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Vice President's role is purely ceremonial, and they have no substantive powers in this process.
An explanation of the Vice President's role during the electoral vote count before Congress is that the Vice President, as President of the Senate, presides over the joint session of Congress when the electoral votes are counted. However, the Vice President does not have the authority to accept or reject electoral votes (option a), nor can they cast a vote except in the case of a Senate tie (option b). Moreover, the Vice President cannot decide which states' electoral votes to count (option c). The primary function of the Vice President during this process is to open all the certificates in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, after which the votes are counted by Congress, rendering the role largely ceremonial without substantive powers.
Throughout American history, the Vice President's responsibilities have included being ready to assume the presidency if necessary, presiding over the Senate, and casting tie-breaking votes but not during the counting of the electoral votes. The Twelfth Amendment details the process of electoral voting, indicating that once electoral votes are transmitted to the President of the Senate, they are then opened and counted in a joint session of Congress, without any mention of additional powers for the Vice President in this particular procedure.