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malaise

(267,823 posts)
Wed Nov 30, 2016, 09:13 PM Nov 2016

I stand behind Hamilton electors,

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/30/faithless-electors-electoral-college-donald-trump
<snip>
A teenager from Washington state has become the seventh person to indicate that she will break ranks with party affiliation and become a “faithless elector” in an attempt to prevent Donald Trump being formally enshrined as president-elect when the electoral college meets on 19 December.

Levi Guerra, 19, from Vancouver, Washington, is set to announce that she is joining the ranks of the so-called “Hamilton electors” at a press conference at the state capitol in Olympia on Wednesday.

The renegade group believes it is the responsibility of the 538 electors who make up the electoral college to show moral courage in preventing demagogues and other threats to the nation from gaining the keys to the White House, as the founding fathers intended.

“I stand behind Hamilton electors,” Guerra said in a statement to the Guardian. “I promised those who elected me that I would do everything I could to keep Donald Trump out of office.”

12 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Response to FBaggins (Reply #1)

SickOfTheOnePct

(7,290 posts)
5. Great
Wed Nov 30, 2016, 09:37 PM
Nov 2016

Clinton electors vote for someone else = Clinton gets fewer electoral votes
Trump electors vote for someone else = Congress tosses their votes

No good ending here, as Trump will still be elected.

jg10003

(974 posts)
6. In order for the Hamilton Electors strategy to work 37 Trump electors have to vote for someone else
Wed Nov 30, 2016, 09:47 PM
Nov 2016

A Clinton elector's vote has no influence on the outcome. However, if a Clinton elector announces that she is willing to vote for Mitt Romney or John Kasich in order to prevent Trump from being president then that might help persuade a Trump elector to do the same. It may be a long-shot, but it's the only shot left.

FBaggins

(26,697 posts)
8. That must be it.
Wed Nov 30, 2016, 10:16 PM
Nov 2016

They need to switch enough Clinton votes that whoever they pick as the "acceptable Republican" will come in 3rd and then hope to convince enough Trump electors to switch so that the House has the option of dumping Trump... but not enough of them to pick a more conservative Republican and slide that candidate into 3rd.

As you said... a long shot.

 

Travis_0004

(5,417 posts)
9. If they expect Hillary to win she needs 270
Wed Nov 30, 2016, 10:17 PM
Nov 2016

So if a Hillary elector defects, that is one more vote she needs.

If nobody gets 270, the house chooses the next president. And the Senate chooses the vice president. Any guesses on who they will select?

anamandujano

(7,004 posts)
7. It's the last line of defense. I would like to see some Trump electors step forward before they
Wed Nov 30, 2016, 10:12 PM
Nov 2016

drain too many from Hillary.

I don't think they should announce either. Just annouce tentative numbers and wait until the recount is over.

jg10003

(974 posts)
11. How the Hamilton Electors strategy could work.
Wed Nov 30, 2016, 10:29 PM
Nov 2016

Suppose John Kasich or Lindsey Graham get 37 of Trump’s electoral votes, sending the election to the House of Representatives. Clinton won 21 states. If Clinton endorses Kaisich or Graham, and their own state supports them, that’s 22 votes in the House. It would then take only five more Republican votes to keep Trump out of the White House and save our republic.

roamer65

(36,739 posts)
12. Hard to say how the states would go in the House.
Wed Nov 30, 2016, 10:57 PM
Nov 2016

Each states representatives caucus to decide which candidate gets the 1 vote for that particular state. First candidate with 26 states wins.

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