Electoral College could see historic numbers of ‘faithless electors’

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share via Email
• Copy Link

  Link Copied

In one last effort to deny Donald Trump the presidency, half a dozen Democratic electors in the Electoral College have signed onto an agreement to attempt to block Trump from getting into the White House.

These electors are trying to convince their Republican counterparts to also break with their oaths, and state law, in some cases, to refuse to vote for Trump, in the process becoming what is called a ‘faithless elector.’

While Democrats realize that it is unlikely they will be able to convince the 37 Republicans needed to deny Trump the presidency, they feel their efforts are worth it. Even if they are not able to stop Trump, their efforts would undermine faith in the Electoral College and would hopefully inspire the United States to take a closer look at this system that many feel is antiquated.

“I do think that a byproduct would be a serious look into Electoral College reform,” said Micheal Baca, a Democratic elector from Colorado.

–How slavery became the basis of the Electoral College–

“If it gets into the House, the controversy and the uncertainty that would immediately blow up into a political firestorm in the U.S. would cause enough people — my hope is — to look at the whole concept of the Electoral College,” said another elector.

If even a few Republicans defect away from the Trump ticket, the ripples could stir up change despite a Trump presidency.

“If you could get eight or 10 Trump electors to vote for someone else…then that would probably get people’s attention,” said George Edwards III, a political science professor and Electoral College expert at Texas A&M University told Politico. “We haven’t ever had that many faithless electors in one election.”