Should Republican state legislatures appoint Trump electors regardless?

Should Republican state legislatures appoint Trump electors regardless?

I have been starting to hear the call from some prominent Republicans that states under the control of Republican legislature should appoint Trump electors, against the wish of the votes of their states.

They are claiming that these elections cannot be trusted, and that in light of that, the state legislatures should appoint their own Trump electors, and present that to congress for ratification.

Lets be clear, this is ABSOLUTLEY legal. It would be 100% legal for Republican state representatives to select whomever they want as their states electors. They do NOT have to follow the will of their people.

Trump has parroted this, with some tepid support of Lindsay Graham.

 

My personal thought, is that if this happened, you would see the end of our republic, and the violence that would ensue would be unparalleled in this country.

 

I suspect you are right on that.

In 2016 there were similar calls for unfaithful electors to keep Trump from the Presidency. If a sufficient number of electors altered an election that way, it would end the Republic. The faith in the election system would be shot and wouldn't be fixable.

 

Should Republican state legislatures appoint Trump electors regardless???

No! If it were up to them, people like Hillary Clinton in New York wouldn't be electors. I know New York is blue... but still!

 

That would literally finish ripping the nation apart.

Reason #20286 why the electoral college needs to be disbanded.
If the US wants to keep the popular vote per each state with an absurd weighted system that is fine but no one person should have the ability to ignore the wishes of the people. Especially one that isn’t even elected or known about by most.

 

Well that's not how it works actually. The electors are the same number on each side and as the votes come in each side releases the appropriate number of electors. When it's all over they all are supposed to vote for the winner. The state legislature has no role in this.

 

The Trump Legacy is the undermining of faith in the American election system, the undermining of faith in the American Scientific and medical communities and the largest increase in the National Debt in history.

Trump has been more effective than a suitcase nuke.

 

You mean the democratic house ran up the national debt since the president is not authorized to do that.

 

Trump has the power of veto - he never used it on spending bills - even before Covid. And his first two years, the debt rose over $2 trillion with a Republican controlled Congress.

Nope. I got to hand it to the Foreign Troll Farms, they really set this up well. Now, if Trump loses, it's the fault of a corrupt American system. If Trump wins, it will
be the fault of a corrupt American system.

 

And the house didn't have to write the bill that spent the money.

 

And Trump didn't have to sign it. We can do this all day.

 

Yes we could but the point is that you are blaming Trump when he alone is not at fault.

 

Unless there is a Congressional over-ride of a veto - the buck stops with him (or gets spent, in this case).

 

Trump has veto power. If Congress over-rides his veto, then it's on them.
I have blamed Obama for crazy overspending as well.

 

A veto he exercised for his wall. The White House proposes a budget which gives the house a starting point of what is acceptable to the president. Trump has always proposed budgets with increasing deficits.

 

Their ability to do so depends on the respective laws of the state. But there is no realistic path for an ultimate Trump victory at this point, regardless. He needs to put on his big boy pants.

 

Have any Trump supporters voted "no" to this? I hope so.

 

Wrong!

That would be a VIOLATION of the Law of the Land given that Electors MUST votes in accordance with the POPULAR VOTE winner of their state.

This is stipulated in the Constitution and reaffirmed by a RECENT ruling by the SCrOTUS.

 

I may be wrong but I believe the case that went to SCOTUS asked if a state could pass a law requiring electors to vote consistent with the popular vote. In those states that have passed such a law, that law is constititional. It did not speak to the question of what happens if an elector decides to vote differently from the vote in a state without such a law.

 

Actually the SCrOTUS DID address exactly that point that you are making about what are termed to "faithless electors".

https://www.vox.com/2020/7/6/213145...toral-college-elena-kagan-chiafalo-washington

 

Tough call.

They should vote with the will of their people. I don't think the results of the election necessarily reflect that. Each legislator is going to have to weigh the popular vote vs the election 'irregularities' in their state and ultimately vs their gut instinct on what best represents their constituents' interests. This if they are faithful public servants.

They will, of course, primarily be concerned with either whatever they think is most likely to get them re-elected themselves or whatever they think will line their pockets more before they retire. This is the reality of politics.

 

Most of these states have laws that require that the electors vote the will of the popular vote. And Nancy Pelosi would never ever ratify such a thing in the House if it were done.

Ultimately, at the end of the day, we can be thankful that Pelosi is the final barrier, and under no circumstances, outside of a recount that turned the election, would she ever let Trump near the white house again

 

In many of those states 'required by law' works out to a fine for violating that law. Between a couple hundred and a couple thousand dollars... hardly a severe punishment for most Electors.

 

And now Republicans want to completely destroy democracy.

Every state has a law saying the electors shall be chosen by a popular vote of the people.

This law cannot be changed after an election because you do not like the outcome.

Trump is calling for his supporters in the state legislators to become criminals

 

it's sad how Republicans now are actually thinking that state legislatures do not take their oath to the Constitution seriously.

They will just easily snap their fingers and reject the will of the people.

I think they are going to be very surprised