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Caution: The real election is yet to come

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The U.S. has an Electoral College system and, playing under those rules, President-Elect Trump on Nov. 8 won a majority of electors who are pledged to vote for him.

The operative word is, “pledged”. Keeping the pledge is voluntary. [Update/correction: In some states. Commentors pointed out that it’s mandatory in others.] The real election for President happens now through December 19, with the votes counted on January 6. And for many lefties, It’s Still Awn.

Per BuzzFeed, Anti-Trump Protesters Post Personal Information Of Electoral College Members. With an intent, naturally, to defeat Trump / elect Hillary.

The #NotMyPresident Alliance, a national anti-Donald Trump protest group, has released the personal information of dozens of Electoral College members in states that voted Republican. [ed: Note, only the Republicans]

…The group hopes that its members and citizens around the country will contact electors and persuade them to change their vote from Donald Trump to another candidate… [ed: which could only mean Hillary, though the group tries to deny it]

So far as I know, an elector can legally vote for whomever she wants; voting for her pledged candidate is only customary. [Update/correction: In some states. Commentors pointed out that it’s mandatory in others.] I don’t think Hillary’s chances of success are great; but Trump is a fool, if he thinks Hillary has zero chance and he fails to take this seriously.

As to the anti-Trump protests: The article hints at some lefties hoping the protests will sway electors away from Trump. On that point, they’re probably wrong. But, could it explain why President Obama, Hillary Clinton and even Bernie Sanders have said so little to stop the protests?

Comments

  2. There are (at least) *two* sets of E.C. electors on the ballot on election day: those nominated by, and members of, the Republican Party, and those nominated by, and members of, the Democratic Party.

    It’s not very likely that *any* of them are going to be Faithless Electors.

    But, two can play this game. Why not have a grass-roots movement calling upon those electors pledged to the Witch to vote for Trump?

  3. From the article:

    Kurt Brown, an elector in Iowa, told BuzzFeed News he has not “totally committed yet” on where his electoral vote will go. His personal phone number and home address were posted in the spreadsheet.

    …meaning that he is supposed to be Republican/Trump.

    Again, I’m not saying a Hillary victory is likely. I’m saying: This is the real election. If Trump isn’t taking it seriously and checking in with his pledged electors, he’s a fool.

    As to the grass-roots movement: Fine, go ahead. But Trump is a fool, if he doesn’t have his own little watch on this matter.

  4. I think all this talk of “faithless electors” is a bunch of nonsense. The Libtard Left didn’t do it in 2000 – when it would have been easier – so I don’t think that it will happen next month.

    Trust me – we in “flyover states” wouldn’t cotton too much to our state electors ignoring the will of the people. After all, we all support (and embrace) the Second Amendment – and they KNOW it.

    Regards,
    Peter H.

  5. Peter, I hope you’re right – and I think you’re *probably* right. You just won’t see me going to 100% with it.

    Partly out of respect for the real vote count, on Jan 6. No felons or illegals or dead people or double-votes, in that one.

  6. ILC, about 26 states literally force their state’s electors to support the winner of the popular vote in that state through legislation and by “binding” their electors. (In some states it’s a felony for an elector to fail to cast the proper vote. Texas is one of them.)

    Plus, it’s the state’s political party that selects the electors that cast their votes in their respective state capitals, so they thoroughly vet them. There is a very slim chance that their electors will go “rogue” with both the state party and the state government breathing down their necks.

    Most of these electors are former governors, judges, legislators and muckety-mucks, so they wouldn’t dare jeopardize their political lives in this manner.

    The last time an elector cast a protest vote was for Al Gore in 2000. One of the 3 electors in DC refused to cast her vote, citing the lack of statehood for DC. She’s been out of politics ever since.

    Regards,
    Peter H.

  7. While in theory this is correct, just about every state has a law punishing delegates who do not vote in accordance with the results of the election.

    There would also be political consequences for those who would do so. Can you imagine what would happen to a Republican delegate who did not vote for the Republican nominee?

    You know, it is really strange how the party that rants and raves about attempts to disenfranchise voters would stoop to this kind of disenfranchisement–blatant, obvious disenfranchisement.

    They would claim they are enfranchising the majority of voters, but they would be wrong, since a majority did not vote for Hillary. They are disenfranchising majorities or pluralities in states Trump won.

    Seems they only care about enfranchising Democrats, liberals, non-citizens, and the dead.

    Doesn’t surprise me, coming from the same party that cares so much about “a woman’s right to choose” as long as that choice is for abortion.

  9. After 8 years in this country, I’m still relatively new, so what do I *actually* know of american politics?

    But here’s what I do know that I know:

    never, ever, underestimate the viciousness of the left, especially if / when they have managed to get enough funds (anyhow) to carry out their plans.

    Just ask the Russians wrt. prior to October 1917 or Cuba wrt. prior to 1959.

  10. This is the last time the 2%er progressives/national socialists/communists hostile to the COTUS and the Bill of Rights and those libertarians that would aid and abet them will knowingly be placed in federal government. The 2%er marxists will go for broke. The majority population that adhere to the COTUS, the Bill of Rights and rule of law through strict constructionist/textualist interpretation is prepared for civil war. The 2%er NWO still lose as they are vastly outnumbered. It’s a no win proposition for them with the advent of electronic media.

  11. Here are the states which make it illegal to be a “faithless elector”.

    Alabama
    Alaska
    California
    Colorado
    Connecticut
    DC
    Florida
    Hawaii
    Maine
    Maryland
    Michigan (faithless elector can be replaced)
    Mississippi
    Montana
    Nebraska
    Nevada
    New Mexico
    North Carolina (faithless elector can be replaced)
    Ohio
    Oklahoma
    Oregon
    South Carolina (faithless elector can be replaced)
    Vermont
    Virginia
    Washington
    Wisconsin
    Wyoming

    Watch Texas, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Kansas, the Dakotas, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennesee, and Georgia. I fully expect many of them to pass laws making it mandatory for electors to vote for their pledged candidate.

  13. We have an elector here in WA who said if Hillary won, he would not vote for her. He was a Bernie supporter. This has been my greatest fear, that Obama and Hillary are blackmailing, threatening and harassing electors to vote for her, and she steals the election. The resulting rebellion that ensues might make these riots look like children’s parties.

  14. Thanks Craig!

    So let’s say that roughly half of the electors are legally bound to be faithful. That makes it harder to get 40 of the other electors to switch. Especially when lefties are (by some reports) being so unpleasant to the electors. Good to know.

    I stand by my point, that now-to-Dec 19 is the real election (or Jan 6 is the real vote count).

  15. I stand corrected – Texas does NOT bind its electors. My old Poli-Sci prof (who guided my dissertation, btw) pointed me to this article: http://www.texasmonthly.com/burka-blog/meet-texas-presidential-elector-may-not-vote-trump/

    Full disclosure: I know Paul Burka, the author of this blog. He is a dyed-in-the-wool liberal Dhimmicrat who idolized Dan Rather. In other words, he’s an a$$hat. But I guess you folks already figured that out. 😉

    Regards,
    Peter H.

  16. I can’t imagine the level of outrage and uproar through Flyover Country if such an act of political treachery were successful. And with a political-impaired (AJ Ginsburg!) SCOTUS missing one Associate Justice…

    Presumably the Usurping POTUS and VPOTUS would be immediately impeached, convicted by voice-vote if sworn-in — and removed.

  18. It’s true that the Electors can vote for whoever they like. (Even in the “mandatory” states, it just provides legal sanctions against “faithless” electors, it doesn’t actually prevent them from voting faithlessly.)

    But pay attention to who counts and certifies the vote of the Electors.

    It’s the House of Representatives.

    Good luck convincing the GOP-majority House of Representatives to certify a result that makes Hillary Clinton the next president.

  19. But pay attention to who counts and certifies the vote of the Electors.

    It’s the House of Representatives.

    Good luck convincing the GOP-majority House of Representatives to certify a result that makes Hillary Clinton the next president.

    Good point!

    Of course it’s not like those that are pushing this insanity would abide by that decision either. I agree with Rosey in that civil war is really what the most extreme SJW types really are itching for.