COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Is there still a chance Hillary Clinton could win the presidency? Technically, yes. There’s a petition online with over 3.5 million signatures as of Saturday evening, asking electors of the electoral college to cast their votes for Clinton instead of Donald Trump.
The petition’s creator Elijah Berg writes:
“If they all vote the way their states voted, Donald Trump will win. However, they can vote for Hillary Clinton if they choose. Even in states where that is not allowed, their vote would still be counted, they would simply pay a small fine – which we can be sure Clinton supporters will be glad to pay!”
There is another petition online with about 1,000 signatures as of Saturday evening, urging the electoral college to confirm Trump as the president.
The petition’s creator writes:
“The Electoral system is the system that allows every state to make their vote heard. Without it; the populous dense, liberal, inner cities would decide the election every year. That’s not democracy, that’s a farce.”
The votes have been counted here in Ohio and Trump is the winner. It’s been a bitter pill for some to swallow and that’s why millions are urging state electors to change their minds when they meet in December to cast their votes.
But, an expert from the Ohio State University says don’t hold your breath.
Political science professor emeritus Paul Beck says while electors can choose to ignore how their state voted and instead vote for Clinton, it is very unlikely that they would. He says even if one or two electors went “rogue” it wouldn’t be enough to change the results.
“Could one or two of them not vote for Trump? I think that’s always possible,” he says. “I think it’s not likely and they would suffer the consequences of that, particularly if it changed the outcome of the election.”
Beck says electors will meet in their state capitols on December 19th and cast their votes. Right now, Trump is the projected winner with 290 electoral votes and Clinton with 228.
He says electors are not compelled to pick a particular candidate, but they are carefully chosen by the political parties and are usually already committed to voting a certain way.
“Every once in a while, maybe in a state like Ohio where some of the party leadership was not supporting Trump there could be somebody that goes rogue, but I really doubt that is going to happen and you don’t want to be in a position that you’re changing the result of an election by your single vote,” he says.
However, Beck says there is still a legitimate question on why the electoral college is the determining institution for the election rather than the popular vote.
“I don’t expect it to change in the future. It would require individual states that have small numbers of electoral votes to be able to go to the popular vote and they’re not going to want to do that. It dilutes the kind of influence that they have,” he says. “I think it is antiquated. It was a deal that was cut back in 1787. It was the price among other deals or compromises. It was the price we paid for our Constitution. On the other hand, changing it is difficult.”
For now, Beck says his best advice is to accept that the contest is over and watch for the announcement of cabinet positions.
“We need to deal with that,” he says. “There will be a new administration in Washington. We need to keep an eye, of course, on what they do.”
I recommend that you fine folks re-cork your bottles of champaigne. Here are the key dates:
November 8, 2016—Election Day Registered voters cast their votes for President and Vice President. By doing so, they also help choose the electors who will represent their state in the Electoral College.
Mid-November through December 19, 2016
After the presidential election, the governor of your state prepares seven Certificates of Ascertainment. “As soon as practicable,” after the election results in your state are certified, the governor sends one of the Certificates of Ascertainment to the Archivist.
Certificates of Ascertainment should be sent to the Archivist no later than the meeting of the electors in December. However, federal law sets no penalty for missing the deadline.
The remaining six Certificates of Ascertainment are held for use at the meeting of the Electors in December.
December 13, 2016
States must make final decisions in any controversies over the appointment of their electors at least six days before the meeting of the Electors. This is so their electoral votes will be presumed valid when presented to Congress.
Decisions by states’ courts are conclusive, if decided under laws enacted before Election Day.
December 19, 2016
The Electors meet in their state and vote for President and Vice President on separate ballots. The electors record their votes on six “Certificates of Vote,” which are paired with the six remaining Certificates of Ascertainment.
The electors sign, seal, and certify six sets of electoral votes. A set of electoral votes consists of one Certificate of Ascertainment and one Certificate of Vote. These are distributed immediately as follows:
one set to the President of the Senate (the Vice President) for the official count of the electoral votes in January; two packages to the Secretary of State in the state where the electors met—one is an archival set that becomes part of the public record of the Secretary of State's office and the other is a reserve set that is subject to the call of the President of the Senate to replace missing or incomplete electoral votes; two packages to the Archivist—one is an archival set that becomes part of the permanent collection at the National Archives and Records Administration and the other is a reserve set that is subject to the call of the President of the Senate to replace missing or incomplete electoral votes; and one set to the presiding judge in the district where the Electors met—this is also a reserve set that is subject to the call of the President of the Senate to replace missing or incomplete electoral votes.
December 28, 2016
Electoral votes (the Certificates of Vote) must be received by the President of the Senate and the Archivist no later than nine days after the meeting of the electors. States face no legal penalty for failure to comply.
If votes are lost or delayed, the Archivist may take extraordinary measures to retrieve duplicate originals.
On or Before January 3, 2017
The Archivist and/or representatives from the Office of the Federal Register meet with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House in late December or early January. This is, in part, a ceremonial occasion. Informal meetings may take place earlier.
January 6, 2017
The Congress meets in joint session to count the electoral votes. Congress may pass a law to change this date.
The Vice President, as President of the Senate, presides over the count and announces the results of the Electoral College vote. The President of the Senate then declares which persons, if any, have been elected President and Vice President of the United States.
If a State submits conflicting sets of electoral votes to Congress, the two Houses acting concurrently may accept or reject the votes. If they do not concur, the votes of the electors certified by the Governor of the State on the Certificate of Ascertainment would be counted in Congress.
If no Presidential candidate wins 270 or more electoral votes, a majority, the 12th Amendment to the Constitution provides for the House of Representatives to decide the Presidential election. If necessary the House would elect the President by majority vote, choosing from the three candidates who received the greatest number of electoral votes. The vote would be taken by state, with each state having one vote.
If no Vice Presidential candidate wins 270 or more electoral votes, a majority, the 12th Amendment provides for the Senate to elect the Vice President. If necessary, the Senate would elect the Vice President by majority vote, choosing from the two candidates who received the greatest number of electoral votes. The vote would be taken by state, with each Senator having one vote.
If any objections to the Electoral College vote are made, they must be submitted in writing and be signed by at least one member of the House and one Senator. If objections are presented, the House and Senate withdraw to their respective chambers to consider their merits under procedures set out in federal law.
January 20, 2017 at Noon—Inauguration Day
The President-elect takes the Oath of Office and becomes the President of the United States.
