GOP Electors Embarrass Themselves “Casting Votes” In States Won By Biden

December 15, 2020, 7:39 am

A major step in our election process happened on Monday — the electoral college met and formally cast their votes for the next president of the United States based on how the people of their states voted in November. It’s essentially a formality, but it still brings us one step closer to Joe Biden being sworn into office next year.

Advertisement
Hide

But President Trump seems to think he still has some sort of avenue by which he can cling to his title and office, and those who support him continue to back this delusion.

Advertisement
Hide

Our presidential elections are unnecessarily complicated, but basically, electors chosen by the party that wins the popular vote in each state are the ones who go cast their votes as part of the electoral college. So in places like California, Colorado, and New York, Democratic electors were the only ones voting on Monday, while GOP electors cast their votes in Texas, Florida, and Montana.

Despite this, GOP electors in six states that were won by Biden — including Nevada, Georgia, and Wisconsin — cast their votes for Trump in legally meaningless ceremonies at the same time as their Democratic counterparts cast the real votes.

There are no Nevada GOP electors.

These are just random people who signed a paper with no real constitutional value.

Nice try, though. https://t.co/WcxRAJiKzp

— Santiago Mayer (@santiagomayer_) December 14, 2020

Advertisement
Hide

They said that they were the Republican electors there to cast their vote for president. State police declined to let them enter the building or leave votes offered in a manila envelope pic.twitter.com/rNVIwc5ZXC

— Riley Beggin (@rbeggin) December 14, 2020

According to the Washington Post, their hope in doing this is that when Congress officially counts the electoral votes in a couple of weeks, they will be convinced to count the votes for Trump, instead.

But as the GOP electors were not chosen to represent their states in these instances, their votes will not be read. They’re as valid as if any random person declared their electoral vote for a candidate.

Advertisement
Hide

As absurd as all of this is, it’s being egged on by Trump, who continues to insist there was widespread voter fraud in the election, despite having upwards of 50 lawsuits alleging as much disregarded by the courts so far.

And everyone still buying into it is being mocked pretty relentlessly.

Now that the GOP has attempted an alternative theory of the law, by having their electors cast phony votes for Trump, I think they should next test their alternative interpretation of gravity by jumping from airplanes while holding only tiny cocktail umbrellas for parachutes…

— Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) December 14, 2020

These mock gatherings of GOP electors to submit “alternate” electors for Trump are as effectual as Trump’s holding an alternate Emmy Awards for himself, or framing a picture of an alternate “Time’s Person of the Year” awar—oh wait, he actually did that.

— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) December 14, 2020

Advertisement
Hide

This is equal parts horrifying and absurd. These are not real electors. There is not a “competing” slate of electors.

It’s the Nevada GOP showing that they are completely unhinged from reality. pic.twitter.com/jMbm0R8FQR

— Teri Kanefield (@Teri_Kanefield) December 14, 2020

Oh nonono. I have my ballots right here in my hand and they were notarized at Kinko’s yesterday, a full day before deadline. Stop trying to steal the victory away from me and my “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” Party kthx.

— Scott Wedding (@scottintempe) December 14, 2020

Advertisement
Hide

Because no legal entity ever certified Super Bowl XXXIX, and the Patriots cheating has still not been resolved, I today met at 1pm and declared the Eagles the winners of the game.

— Eric Schmeltzer (@JustSchmeltzer) December 14, 2020

I did not have “electoral college cosplay” on my bingo card.

— Emily Devonick (@EmilyDevonick) December 14, 2020

With the inauguration only a month away, it’ll be interesting to see what shenanigans Trump and his GOP loyalists try to pull next in their attempts to do away with democracy. But this faux electors nonsense won’t get them very far.

Share this article

*First Published: December 15, 2020, 7:39 am