While Donald Trump, based on the popular vote in each state and the District of Columbia, won enough electors to win the Presidency of the United States it did not become official until the Electoral College voted today.
Despite attempts to sway Republican electors to cast their ballot for someone else Donald Trump won the electors needed when Texas put him over the 270 needed. He received 304 electors.
Iowa’s six GOP electors voted according to the popular vote in Iowa and voted for Donald Trump.
Thank you to Iowa's six faithful presidential electors for reflecting the will of Iowans. Your service is greatly appreciated. pic.twitter.com/r1o9tp0LvO
— Iowa GOP (@IowaGOP) December 19, 2016
Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann, in a press conference call before the electors voted, called the calls to the electors as nothing more than “background noise.” He said, criticizing former Democratic candidate Jim Mowrer who started a PAC supporting the National Popular Voting compact, how anyone who cares about Iowa could oppose the Electoral College as Iowa would literally become “flyover candidate” for presidential candidates.
So far there have been six faithless electors with four being Democrats and two being Republicans.
In Texas one faithless elector was expected, a vote for John Kasich, but an additional elector’s vote for Ron Paul was unexpected. In Texas electors are currently unbound.
Just in: 36 of 38 Texas electors vote for Trump. One voted for Ron Paul and another for John Kasich.
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) December 19, 2016
At the time of this writing only four had their votes count and they were in Washington State where they face being charged with a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1000.
Breaking 4 "faithless electors" break ranks in Washington state electoral college vote. 3 vote for Colin Powell, one for Faith Spotted Eagle
— Ed Pilkington (@Edpilkington) December 19, 2016
One elector in Maine tried to vote for Bernie Sanders was ruled out-of-order and then changed his vote to Hillary Clinton.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – Democratic Maine elector's vote for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders ruled improper; he switches vote to Hillary Clinton https://t.co/Fm1gfZbPNp
— Josh Lederman (@JoshNBCNews) December 19, 2016
Two Democratic electors – one in Colorado and one in Minnesota were replaced with alternates.
One of 10 Minnesota electors has decided not cast a vote, Muhammad Abdurrahan. An alternate is now being sworn in. #ElectoralCollege pic.twitter.com/4eN1PIrZdO
— Dylan Wohlenhaus (@DylanWohlenhaus) December 19, 2016
Hillary Clinton gets 9 Electoral College votes from Colorado after one elector is replaced when he refused to vote for Clinton.
— Nick Riccardi (@NickRiccardi) December 19, 2016
The push for faithless electors by the left was more an effort to try to disrupt and discredit the Electoral College than it was to prevent Donald Trump’s election. In the end it was much to do about nothing.
