# Faithless Electors dis Hillary over Trump **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 21, 2016, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faithless-electors-dis-hillary-over-trump/775283 "2016-12-21T07:23:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faithless-electors-dis-hillary-over-trump/775283/1 "2016-12-21T07:23:37Z")
More EC electors abandon Hillary than Trump. [Who Faithless Electors Voted for Instead of Trump or Clinton](https://www.inverse.com/article/25458-faithless-electors-electoral-college-2016-final-results) Trigger Warning: Big picture of the Cheeto in Chief > [@](#): > > Four electors in Washington state cast their votes for other candidates. Three voted for Colin Powell. One, Robert Satiacum Jr., voted for Native American activist Faith Spotted Eagle. > … > Three more electors tried to cast votes for a candidate other than Clinton as well, though none were successful. > … > Only two electors who had been pledged to Trump went rogue, and both of them were from Texas. So 7:2 abandonment rate of voters in the final tally. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faithless-electors-dis-hillary-over-trump/775283/2 "2016-12-21T09:18:17Z")
It shouldn’t be surprising. Trump’s electors did, after all, win. Clinton’s were more desperate to do, well, anything. Not much point in voting for Clinton. It is disappointing that the electors didn’t see the clear and present danger posed by a president with no understanding of domestic or foreign policy and no interest in learning anything, with close ties to a hostile foreign power which broke the law with the explicit intent of bolstering that candidate. It kinda shows that the electoral college is fundamentally incapable of performing its job, and should be retired. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faithless-electors-dis-hillary-over-trump/775283/3 "2016-12-21T15:04:22Z")
I think some of the Clinton electors voted for someone other than Clinton in an effort to persuade Trump electors to similarly defect from their candidate. If there would not have been a campaign to persuade the Trump electors to defect, I doubt if the Clinton electors would have done it. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faithless-electors-dis-hillary-over-trump/775283/4 "2016-12-21T15:13:29Z")
There were two goals. The short term highly unlikely (pretty much delusional) one of getting enough Trump electors to defect to elect somebody else. Then the more realistic and longer term one of delegitimatizing the Electoral College. Having an unusually high number of faithless electors served the second purpose at least at the margin, sowing doubt about how the EC would come out in a closer (EC-wise) election, even if Clinton was the one suffering most of the defections. OTOH in a closer election both party’s electors would be less likely to defect. And the EC isn’t actually going anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faithless-electors-dis-hillary-over-trump/775283/5 "2016-12-21T15:48:28Z")
In Vermont, we had protesters at the Electoral College election. Why, I am not sure. Vermont went for Clinton, and the electors voted for Clinton. What did the protesters want them to do? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faithless-electors-dis-hillary-over-trump/775283/6 "2016-12-21T16:04:33Z")
“Then the more realistic and longer term one of delegitimatizing (sic) the Electoral College.” If so, they failed miserably. Really, the way to do that would have been for 100+ (preferably 200 or so) Hillary electors to vote for Mickey Mouse, Bart Simpson and Tooth Fairy. What exactly did they have to lose? Having just a few “faithless” electors does nothing to delegitimize the Electoral College. Ho-hum. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faithless-electors-dis-hillary-over-trump/775283/7 "2016-12-21T20:14:27Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > “Then the more realistic and longer term one of delegitimatizing (sic) the Electoral College.” > > If so, they failed miserably. Really, the way to do that would have been for 100+ (preferably 200 or so) Hillary electors to vote for Mickey Mouse, Bart Simpson and Tooth Fairy. What exactly did they have to lose? > > Having just a few “faithless” electors does nothing to delegitimize the Electoral College. Ho-hum. True, but as with what actually happened, the Democrats risk delegitimizing themselves when attempting to do it to Trump and/or institutions they feel have gotten in the way of the ‘right’ outcome. Your scenario would have at least potential to be a two edged sword, I would hope everyone reasonable could agree. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2016, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faithless-electors-dis-hillary-over-trump/775283/8 "2016-12-22T00:10:31Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > “Then the more realistic and longer term one of delegitimatizing (sic) the Electoral College.” > > If so, they failed miserably. Really, the way to do that would have been for 100+ (preferably 200 or so) Hillary electors to vote for Mickey Mouse, Bart Simpson and Tooth Fairy. What exactly did they have to lose? > > Having just a few “faithless” electors does nothing to delegitimize the Electoral College. Ho-hum. Most states have laws requiring electors to vote for the candidate who won their state. Which makes hiring actual electors to physically cast votes even more pointless. ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2016, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faithless-electors-dis-hillary-over-trump/775283/9 "2016-12-22T01:50:41Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Most states have laws requiring electors to vote for the candidate who won their state. Which makes hiring actual electors to physically cast votes even more pointless. Washington state does. Still had 4 electors not voting for Hillary. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2016, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faithless-electors-dis-hillary-over-trump/775283/10 "2016-12-24T03:42:32Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > So 7:2 abandonment rate of voters in the final tally. What? that infomercial from the chosen ones (aka the Hollywood elite) asking Trump Electors to defect went unheeded? How is this possible? ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2016, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faithless-electors-dis-hillary-over-trump/775283/11 "2016-12-24T07:16:07Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > In Vermont, we had protesters at the Electoral College election. Why, I am not sure. Vermont went for Clinton, and the electors voted for Clinton. What did the protesters want them to do? 😕 _“What Do We Want ?” “You To Continue What You’re Doing.” “When Do We Want It ?” “Right Now !”_ ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2016, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faithless-electors-dis-hillary-over-trump/775283/12 "2016-12-24T23:56:45Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > In Vermont, we had protesters at the Electoral College election. Why, I am not sure. Vermont went for Clinton, and the electors voted for Clinton. What did the protesters want them to do? 😕 The electors? Nothing. The media? To make a big deal and pay attention to THEM!