A joint session of Congress brings all members of the Senate and House of Representatives together in the House chamber. It is convened for specific purposes: counting electoral college votes, inaugurating the president, or receiving the State of the Union address. A president has no automatic right to address a joint session. The Speaker of the House must formally invite the president, giving the majority party control over whether and when the appearance happens. The State of the Union address derives from Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution, which requires the president to inform Congress on the state of the union "from time to time." The annual speech before Congress is a tradition, not a constitutional mandate.