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Republican Elector Won’t Vote for Trump
Texas elector and firefighter Christopher Suprun.
Following Donald Trump’s electoral upset over Hillary Clinton, and his lack of securing the popular vote, there’s been a lot of talk about “faithless electors.” These are members of the Electoral College who refuse to vote for their state’s chosen candidate, and in 2016 the left has worked hard to shake the faith among pro-Trump electors.
In American history there have only been 157 faithless electors, only half of whom changed their minds on personal initiative (the others resulted from a candidate dying before taking office or abstentions.) None of these renegades have changed the course of a presidential election. Could this year be the first?
Republican Texas elector Christopher Suprun took to the opinion pages of the New York Times to announce he will not cast his vote for Donald Trump:
I have poured countless hours into serving the party of Lincoln and electing its candidates. I will pour many more into being more faithful to my party than some in its leadership. But I owe no debt to a party. I owe a debt to my children to leave them a nation they can trust.
Mr. Trump lacks the foreign policy experience and demeanor needed to be commander in chief. During the campaign more than 50 Republican former national security officials and foreign policy experts co-signed a letter opposing him. In their words, “he would be a dangerous president.” During the campaign Mr. Trump even said Russia should hack Hillary Clinton’s emails. This encouragement of an illegal act has troubled many members of Congress and troubles me.
Hamilton also reminded us that a president cannot be a demagogue. Mr. Trump urged violence against protesters at his rallies during the campaign. He speaks of retribution against his critics. He has surrounded himself with advisers such as Stephen K. Bannon, who claims to be a Leninist and lauds villains and their thirst for power, including Darth Vader. “Rogue One,” the latest “Star Wars” installment, arrives later this month. I am not taking my children to see it to celebrate evil, but to show them that light can overcome it.
…The election of the next president is not yet a done deal. Electors of conscience can still do the right thing for the good of the country. Presidential electors have the legal right and a constitutional duty to vote their conscience. I believe electors should unify behind a Republican alternative, an honorable and qualified man or woman such as Gov. John Kasich of Ohio. I pray my fellow electors will do their job and join with me in discovering who that person should be.
Fifteen years ago, I swore an oath to defend my country and Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. On Dec. 19, I will do it again.
Many states place restrictions on electors from going rogue. But independent-minded Texas has no laws binding them to the will of their voters. Two questions: 1) Do you agree with Suprun’s decision, and 2) should he should face consequences?
Published in General
Let me stop you right there. What will it do for the integrity of the Electoral College system if electors are forbidden to act on their conscience?
You have a funny notion of the “integrity of the Electoral College system” if you think electors shouldn’t vote their consciences.
Just out of curiosity, what do you see as the best possible outcome? Given where we are today, how should the 45th president be selected, and who would you like it to be — realistically.
The best possible outcome would be Donald Trump not ever becoming President.
Is “voting their conscience” the job of an elector? Or is their job to represent their state and carry forward the desire of their state for a particular candidate?
Without first understanding their job we can’t debate their conscience.
Okay, let’s stipulate that as true. What about electors publishing op-eds?
This was obviously meant to be tongue in cheek.
They still have first amendment rights.
Answer seriously, Fred. We will need a president. How should this play out if you get your wish and Donald Trump is denied the presidency.
True, but the context here is the stability of the Electoral College.
Maybe its not a thing to joke about.
What about it? How is that even a problem in your view?
From the Texas Republican Party’s published rules: (PDF)
Regardless of my opinion of Trump, Mr. Suprun is an oath breaker. He has pledged on his honor to vote for Donald Trump specifically, and there have been no shocking revelations about who Donald Trump is since the primaries concluded that would justify his behavior.
The man willingly gave an oath in bad faith, and does not deserve his office.
I have no idea. At this point, I’d take a ham sandwich on rye if it’ll stop Donald Trump.
Per the Texas law the job is to fulfill constitutional duty, which is to cast a vote for president and a vote for vice president.
I’ve laid out that train of thought above.
That’s what I was trying to understand. Thanks to Chris B for posting it.
Okay, I see that you’re not serious about anything beyond that.
TxGOP bylaws [pdf]:
I certainly meant it as tongue in cheek, not to be taken seriously. It would be ridiculous to have such a harsh penalty in reality. That said, there should be some sort of severe penalty to ignore the will of the voters. Some states levy fines.
Lost me at “a president cannot be a demagogue.” Two thirds of the last six presidential terms prove otherwise (as long as the occupant of the White House is from the preferred party of an embarrassingly compliant press).
While not his biggest fan, I did applaud President Bush’s attempt to reintroduce the term “demagogue” back into the American political lexicon when he faced Bill Clinton with his full unquestioning backing from the media. Unfortunately, Mr. Bush failed…but ever since I have just assumed the ignorant masses preferred a president to be a demagogue.
Subjective. I think Johnson is unfit, based on a minimal standard that stopping Hitler was a good thing, and yet some people don’t hold that same minimal standard. See how easy that was?
I am not sure how I can ever take anything you say seriously, since you do not care about the damage to the Republic.
This analysis depends entirely on your conclusory assertion that “there have been no shocking revelations about who Donald Trump is” since Mr. Suprun was selected as an elector.
I think it’s constitutionally questionable to bind electors in any way unless “Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct” can be construed in some way to allow the state to do more than determine the manner of their appointment.
Federalist 68 seems pretty clear that electors were intended to exercise some amount of discretion in their duties.
They have not since the first election, yet suddenly now, a change is OK?
There is a difference between what is legal and what is ethical. This is unethical, and moral preening. But, he is getting his 15 min, and he can feel really, really good about himself. And if enough electors went along, the damage to the Republic would be immense, but who cares, they would be morally pure.
I’d really like to see this affidavit, get an idea of what exactly was pledged.
Here’s the ’12 affidavit. I doubt it has changed much.
The electoral college, like the US Senate, was established as a check against the popular will yet representative of state interests. Is that correct? If so, the elector is tasked with voting in accordance with interests not entirely his own.
It is not surprising if the nature of the college changed along with the rise of political parties and direct democracy as favored in an Amendment to the Constitution. Even so, I doubt electors were ever understood to represent only their own opinions, like so many lawless princes.
Gosh, seems pretty straightforward