Protesters behind the #NotMyPresident alliance, made up of anti-Donald Trump protest groups across the U.S., have released the personal information of several members of the Electoral College in hopes people can persuade them to change their vote.
The document contains names, addresses, contact information, religion, genders and even candidate preference information of dozens of electors in states that voted Republican. According to a Buzzfeed report, the #NotMyPresident alliance is urging its members to contact the electors and ask them not to vote for President-elect Trump on Dec. 19.
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Speaking to Buzzfeed News, Jim O’Connor, an elector from Arizona, said he has already received at least 60 phone calls and over 1,500 emails from concerned voters.
Democrat Hillary Clinton may have won the popular vote, but Trump won the vote that counts – the Electoral College.
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Trump has 290 Electoral College votes and Clinton has 232, with Michigan still undecided. It takes 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the presidency. Under the Electoral College system, each state gets one vote for each member of Congress representing the state. Trump technically does not become president until the Electoral College votes for a candidate on Dec. 19.
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This has left some protesters hopeful electors could “go rogue” and vote for a candidate other that Trump.
A Change.org petition posted shortly after the election outcome, which urges electors to vote for Clinton instead of Trump, has garnered over four million signatures thus far.
“On December 19, the Electors of the Electoral College will cast their ballots. If they all vote the way their states voted, Donald Trump will win. However, they can vote for Hillary Clinton if they choose,” reads the petition.
While there is no constitutional provision or federal law that requires Electors to vote for the candidate that won their state, experts say it would be extremely unlikely that the Electoral College would elect a different candidate.
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Over the years, there have been occasional calls to scrap the Electoral College, but none have been successful. The latest push came after the 2000 presidential election, in which Democrat Al Gore lost to Republican George W. Bush, despite winning the popular vote.
Any calls to scrap the Electoral College aren’t likely to go anywhere this time, either, with Republicans controlling both the House and Senate.
– With files from The Associated Press
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