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Electoral College Update: How Democratic Electors Can Stop Trump By Voting Mitt Romney Or John Kasich [Opinion]

By Christine Beswick
Published on: 05:41 PST, Dec 6, 2016

A fury to stop Donald Trump from becoming the next President of the United States has been in place since Election Day. It’s not just happening at the general population level either. In addition to the multiple petitions, multiple international protests, there are protests happening at the Electoral College level.

This week, two Electoral College members from Texas have gone public to say they can not in good conscience vote for Donald Trump when the Electoral College meets on December 19. The New York Times published an Op-Ed from one this week, with Republican Christopher Suprun writing, “I am asked to cast a vote on December 19 for someone who shows daily he is not qualified for the office.”

Suprun cited many reasons, including Trump’s business conflicts of interest, supporting his case as to why he will not vote for Trump, under any circumstances. Cosmopolitan reports that another Republican Texas elector, Art Sisneros, has felt the need to resign from his role in the Electoral College this coming December 19, saying as follows.

“If Trump is not qualified and my role, both morally and historically, as an elected official is to vote my conscience, then I can not and will not vote for Donald Trump for president.”

These are not the only Electoral College members saying they can not and will not vote for Donald Trump for president. A group known as the Hamilton Electors have been dedicated to stopping Trump, through a process known as becoming a faithless elector.

Becoming a faithless elector means that when the Electoral College meets on December 19, the electors who choose to go “faithless” will not vote as their state did, and will instead put their faith elsewhere, on another candidate.

America has not seen a revolt at the Electoral College at this level in over a century. The consensus is that Republicans will not change their vote from Trump and that the notion of a faithless elector campaign stopping Trump is a “fool’s errand.” But we already know of at least two instances, within the Electoral College itself, where not all Republicans support Donald Trump.

Some refuse to.

Democrats are of course on board the stop Trump train, but there are few legal options left for them to do so. Even so, the Washington Post reports that there is one way that the Democrats can stop Trump, although it would require an unconventional and completely bipartisan show of faith.

Becoming a faithless elector is just the opposite, as it shows a lack of faith in the party, but a show of faith for the country. The Washington Post notes what Alexander Hamilton, a founding father of the country and the framer of the Electoral College, had in mind when he developed this system. In the Federalist Papers, Hamilton wrote as follows.

“The process of election affords a moral certainty that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.”

Alexander Hamilton’s wish was that electors would “use their judgment” to prevent “tumult and disorder” by voting in someone from voting in a president that was not qualified. Members of the Electoral College that refuse to become a faithless elector have said they will follow their duties and vote for the state vote. But, there is nothing in the Constitution that says, this is their duty.

What the Constitution does say is that the Electoral College must vote their conscience, leaving the decision up to the elector, and not up to the state. In fact, Hamilton’s wish for the Electoral College was that it would correct the mistakes of the state if the state popular vote leaned towards a candidate that was not eminently qualified for office.

So, it is not the duty of the members of the Electoral College to vote as the state did. It is, in fact, their duty to vote for someone that is qualified.

The Washington Post notes that asking a Republican to abandon Trump, or their state vote, in favor of Hillary Clinton may be an exercise in futility. But, that doesn’t mean the electors can’t or won’t stop Trump. The Post reports that one way that the Democrat electors of the Electoral College can stop Trump is by abandoning their vote for Hillary Clinton, and instead, vote for an alternate Republican candidate.

The two names that keep coming up in the course of this discussion are former presidential candidates Mitt Romney and John Kasich. Democrats asking electors to change their votes come December 19 may have a better chance with Republican electors if they ask them to vote for one of these candidates, or an alternate Republican, instead of voting for Donald Trump.

This, the Washington Post reports, would be a “dramatic gesture of true bipartisanship.”

It would also be an effective campaign for Democrats to ask their own electors, in the states that Hillary Clinton won, to vote for an alternate Republican instead of Hillary Clinton. The rule in the Electoral College is that the first one to 270 votes wins.

As it stands now, Hillary Clinton has 232 Electoral College votes pledged to her, and Donald Trump has 306, but signs are already showing that he is losing some of those votes. The Democrats would only need 37 Republican electors to vote for someone else if they were also able to get Hillary Clinton’s 232 votes for someone else, as well.

The efforts of the group known as Hamilton Electors are geared with just this intent, towards all members of the Electoral College. They are asking all members, or at least 37, to vote for a moderate Republican alternative instead of either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.

The Washington Post notes that all it would take is an announcement from Hillary Clinton to release her electors from voting for her and vote for an alternate Republican. This is where the “dramatic gesture of bipartisanship” comes in, and where voting for the country above the state or party comes in.

It wouldn’t be difficult, either, as both Mitt Romney and Governor Kasich of Ohio already have popularity in many states. The Washington Post notes, 35 Electoral College votes alone for Mitt Romney could come from states he already won in 2012, Wisconsin, Utah, Mississippi, Kansas, Alaska, and Idaho. Texas alone has 38 electors, and one has resigned in the wake of a Trump possibility, and the other will not vote for Donald Trump.

Texan Republican Art Sisneros wrote in his blog this week, in a headline titled “Conflicted Elector in a Corrupt College,” that he feels the Electoral College is corrupt, and he can not vote for Donald Trump. He feels resigning is his only option, and wrote as follows.

“Since I can’t in good conscience vote for Donald Trump, and yet have sinfully made a pledge that I would, the best option I see at this time is to resign my position as Elector. The people will get their vote. I will sleep well at night knowing I neither gave into their demands nor caved to my convictions. I will also mourn the loss of our republic.”

Christopher Suprun, another Republican elector from Texas, has not resigned but has gone public with his intentions not to vote for Donald Trump come December 19. He says he’s been approached with the argument that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, and the Electoral College vote is based on the popular vote. But he also says that’s not a good enough reason for to switch his vote.

In his Op-Ed with the New York Times this week, however, he cites many reasons that he thinks are good enough reasons for him to switch his vote. The biggest one, that Donald Trump has obvious conflicts of interests from a business perspective, Suprun feels, but also that he seems to care more about himself than the country.

Suprun was a firefighter and first responder in the wakes of the September 11 attacks that shook the nation in 2001. He says he watched President Bush lead the country “through the tragic days.” He also says the following.

“That was the last time I remember the nation united. I watch Mr. Trump fail to unite America and drive a wedge between us. Mr. Trump goes out of his way to attack the cast of ‘Saturday Night Live’ for bias. He tweets day and night, but waited two days to offer sympathy to the Ohio State community after an attack there. He does not encourage civil discourse, but chooses to stoke fear and create outrage. This is unacceptable.”

Suprun describes America as “that shining city on a hill” and does not see Donald Trump uniting that city. He refers to the Federalist Papers, and how Alexander Hamilton argued that the Electoral College should not vote someone “engaged in demagogy” and “independent from foreign influence.” Suprun says that Mr. Trump does not meet those standards.

Suprun calls his party “the party of Lincoln” and says he has served it with countless hours. But he feels his debt to the country surpasses his debt to this party. He also says the following.

“I owe a debt to my children to leave them a nation they can trust.”

Suprun agrees with the Washington Post, that the next best option is for all members of the Electoral College is to unite behind an alternative Republican. His suggestion is Governor John Kasich of Ohio. He also wrote the following.

“Fifteen years ago, I swore an oath to defend my country and Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. On December 19, I will do it again.”

As the Washington Post notes, asking a Democrat to back a Republican alternative would be “abhorrent” for them. But, it could be a way of uniting the country and would prove that the Democrats put country before party.

The group known as Hamilton Electors is using this theory in their efforts to collect enough faithless electors to stop Trump come December 19. Watch this powerful video they have put together in their appeal to the Electoral College to abide by their Constitutional duties to vote with their conscience.

Until now, Democrats have collectively stated they believe that Donald Trump poses a threat to the American people, to American nationalism abroad, and has introduced conflicts of interest with countries that some consider to be enemies “both foreign and domestic.” This could be a critical time for Democrats to put their money where their mouth is and transcend party lines to do what many feel is best for America.

If they truly believe Trump is this threat, they also are Constitutionally bound to vote with their conscience on December 19, and do whatever they can to prevent a Trump presidency from happening. Right now, the only way that is going to happen, with the numbers the way they are, is by backing a Republican alternate.

As the Washington Post notes, “The only people who will be responsible for a Trump presidency are those who voted for him.” This includes members of the Electoral College. And it is this set of tenets that have led Republicans to say, “I will not shoulder that responsibility,” and some Democrats already in the group of Hamilton Electors that will become faithless electors on December 19.

[Featured Image by Carolyn Kaster/AP Images]

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