After his name began circulating as an alternative choice for Electoral College voters bound to President-elect Donald Trump or former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, Republican Gov. John Kasich of Ohio urged them to “come together” on Dec. 19 and vote in accordance with their constituents.
“I am not a candidate for president and ask that electors not vote for me when they gather later this month,” Kasich said in a statement released on his Twitter page on Dec. 6. “Our country had an election and Donald Trump won.”
In an effort to keep Trump away from the White House, the bipartisan “Hamilton Electors” group is urging both Democratic and Republican electors to vote for an alternative candidate such as Kasich, notes The Washington Post.
“The country is divided and there are certainly raw emotions on both sides stemming from the election,” Kasich added in his statement. “But this approach, as well meaning as it is, will only serve to further divide our nation, when unity is what we need. The election is over. Now is the time for all of us to come together as Americans.”
A handful of those voting on Dec. 19 have said that they intend to act as faithless electors and vote for someone else in a move that could be unprecedented in U.S. history, as more than 99 percent of electors in past presidential elections have voted in accordance with their pledged candidate.
If all of the 538 electors vote with their constituents, Trump would win 306 electoral votes — 36 more than are needed to become president — and Clinton would take in 232.
“Given what’s at stake, we have been outreaching to everyone we can including electors, various members of both parties, and the media,” Michael Baca, a Hamilton Electors leader and Colorado electoral voter, told Politico. “One of the most inspiring things about this entire process is how we have encountered such patriotism from both sides of the aisle and much willingness to unite for America.”
Sources: John Kasich/Twitter, The Washington Post, Politico / Photo credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr