When the electoral college cast their ballots Monday, there were only two Republican electors who violated their oath by voting against Donald Trump. For Texas Governor Greg Abbott, that was two electors too many.
According to The Hill, moments after the vote Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted that he was looking forward to signing a bill that would require electors to follow the state’s popular votes. “This charade is over,” he said. “A bill is already filed to make these commitments binding.”
One “faithless” Texas elector, Bill Greene, voted for Ron Paul, while the other, Christopher Suprun, voted for John Kasich. Trump’s final margin was 304 to 227 for Hillary Clinton. The New York Times reported that Trump’s electoral college win ranks 46th out of 58 electoral college margins in US history.
“I consider Mr. Trump still to be a demagogue. He continues to divide us based on whether or not you’re male or female, and if you’re a female, are you a 4 or a 10; where you worship; the color of your skin,” Suprun tells the Austin American-Statesman.
Politico reported that four democrat electors in Washington state, three of whom supporting Colin Powell with the fourth choosing a Native American activist, Faith Spotted Eagle. The elector in Hawaill who defected from the Democratic ranks cast their ballot for Bernie Sanders.
The previous record of six faithless electors was set in 1808. Had it not been for election officials in several states blocking electors when they attempted to vote against their party’s nominee, there could have been many more this time around.
Sassy Liberty