4 Washington electors go against the vote, oppose Hillary Clinton
Dec 19, 2016, 2:50 PM | Updated: 4:40 pm
Four Washington state electors chose not to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton as the state's popular vote would have indicated. (AP)
(AP)
Monday was the day that electoral votes were to be cast across the United States. And in Washington, four electors gave their vote to unexpected candidates, denying Democrat Hillary Clinton their support.
All of Washington state’s electoral votes were expected to go to Clinton after she won the majority of votes in the state on Nov. 8.
Related: Washington was reshaped by the 1980 election
Donald Trump officially won the Electoral College nationally meaning he will be the next president of the United States. But out of the 12 electors in Washington, four opted to throw their votes to someone else instead of Clinton at noon on Monday. That left only eight for the Democrat.
Meanwhile, outside the state capitol when the electoral votes were cast, protesters gathered to oppose the election of Trump.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee has recently said he will work with other states to get rid of the Electoral College in favor of using the popular vote to elect presidents. Former Attorney General Rob McKenna says a change is unlikely.
“Our state actually is part of a compact that after enough states join us, we will commit Washington state to following the popular vote of the American people which I think is the best approach,” Inslee said Monday.
How did Washington electors vote?
Three Washington electors cast ballots for Republican and former Secretary of State Colin Powell instead of Clinton. Another rogue vote was cast for Faith Spotted Eagle, an elder member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North Dakota.
Clinton won the popular vote in Washington, and nationally, meaning she received more votes from Americans than Trump. But the Electoral College system picks the president instead of the national popular vote. The Electoral College is a collection of representatives in each state who cast votes — in theory — according to how their region’s voted. The recent election gave Republican Trump 306 electoral votes, and Clinton 232. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win. According to the Associated Press, with several states still voting Monday afternoon, Trump had 304 votes and Clinton had 169.
For vice president, Clinton running mate Tim Kaine received eight electoral votes. But four diverging VP votes were cast for: Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell; Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren; Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine; and Native American activist Winona LaDuke.
The AP reports that a group calling themselves the “Hamilton Electors” sought to block Trump by encouraging both Democratic and Republican electors in every state to unite behind an alternative Republican candidate. If an elector doesn’t vote the way the state’s vote instructs them to, they are fined $1,000.
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