Maine elector will reject Clinton for Sanders

[jpak]

Source: Bangor Daily News

It’s Election Day at the State House (again) and never has an incremental turn of the screw received so much attention.

Maine’s four Electoral College electors in the presidential race will gather today in the House of Representatives chamber — as will electors across the U.S. — to cast the final votes for president. You didn’t read it here first but based on the results of the general election, Democrat Hillary Clinton claimed three of those votes while Republican President-elect Donald Trump earned the fourth with his convincing win in the 2nd Congressional District.

However, one of Maine’s electors could defect and it has nothing to do with Trump. David Bright, an elector for the Democrats, said Monday he intends to vote for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who won Maine’s Democratic caucuses in March.

“I am not a Clinton elector. I am a Democratic elector,” said Bright in a written statement to the Bangor Daily News, which he intends to read at this afternoon’s event. “I cast my vote for Bernie Sanders not out of spite, or malice, or anger, or as an act of civil disobedience. … I cast my Electoral College vote for Bernie Sanders to today to let those new voters who were inspired by him know that some of us did hear them, did listen to them, do respect them and understand their disappointment.”

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Read more: http://stateandcapitol.bangordailynews.com/2016/12/19/maine-elector-will-reject-clinton-for-sanders/

[oberliner]

1. Gee, that's helpful

I don't understand people sometimes.

[BeyondGeography]

2. Fuck the EC

It's a stupid-assed way to elect dog catcher, let alone President.

[MFM008]

4. This

X1000

[Tiggeroshii]

3. Could be just sending a message to the Repuican electors

That they can do the same thing.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Agree

A stampede begins with one step

[progressoid]

14. No. They aren't about to follow the lead of a Bernie voter.

[Mr. Evil]

18. Comrade Trumpenfuhrer's electoral voters are

foaming at the mouth like rabid dogs to cast their vote for him.

[Georgiamountain]

6. Her ec numbers

So Clinton s EC numbers go down?

[radical noodle]

7. This is one of the reasons why I fear

this changing of electoral votes will open a Pandora's box. We could end up with 538 people eventually picking a president that no one voted for.

[downeastdaniel]

10. Ahh, don't worry, the House will elect tRUMP if somehow he gets less than 270

[George II]

8. Another Forrest Gump moment - "stupid is as stupid does"!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

9. Bad enough that the Electors get to vote, ...

... but they also get to give speeches?

[Loki]

11. And the intelligence of this is just staggering.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

12. ...

[progressoid]

13. dumbass

[Third Doctor]

15. Moron. We are facing a damned dictator and he needs to grandstand with a speech.

[Lulu KC]

16. Bernie would not approve n/t

[former9thward]

17. Current vote today is Trump 105, Clinton 66.

http://www.ajc.com/news/national/electoral-college-vote-live-updates-state-state-voting/sy5C2hooqtnMG8tEviTATN/

[melm00se]

19. Why?

because if this gets thrown to the House, this 1 Electoral vote allows for Bernie Sanders to be one of the potential candidates. The Constitution says that only the top 3 Electoral vote getters can be part of the House's process.

What happens if no presidential candidate gets 270 Electoral votes?

If no candidate receives a majority of Electoral votes, the House of Representatives elects the President from the 3 Presidential candidates who received the most Electoral votes. Each state delegation has one vote. The Senate would elect the Vice President from the 2 Vice Presidential candidates with the most Electoral votes. Each Senator would cast one vote for Vice President. If the House of Representatives fails to elect a President by Inauguration Day, the Vice-President Elect serves as acting President until the deadlock is resolved in the House.

https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/faq.html