Republican Electors Cast Votes for Trump in Three Contested States
Alternate electors cast votes for President Donald Trump Monday from a number of battleground states contested by the president as the Electoral College met to finalize the results of the 2020 election.
President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Stephen Miller said the move was to keep open the possibility of challenging the election up until Jan. 20.
“The only date in the Constitution is January 20, so we have more than enough time to right the wrong of this fraudulent election result and certify Donald Trump as the winner of the election,” Miller told Fox News.
Stephen Miller on Fox & Friends says “an alternative” group of electors is also voting today:
“As we speak, an alternate slate of electors in the contested states is going to vote and we are going to send those results to Congress.”pic.twitter.com/5kIkfsbOFw
— Travis Akers (@travisakers) December 14, 2020
Choosing alternate electors and sending their votes to Congress, per Miller, will help to preserve any of the president’s additional court cases.
Should he succeed in those cases, Miller said those votes could be certified.
“This would ensure that all of our legal remedies remain open,” Miller said.
Alternate electors from the contested states of Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania cast votes for Trump on Monday as each state’s official electors placed votes for Democrat Joe Biden.
The Pennsylvania Republican Party issued a statement on the matter on Monday.
BREAKING: REPUBLICAN ELECTORS CAST PROCEDURAL VOTE , SEEK TO PRESERVE TRUMP CAMPAIGN LEGAL CHALLENGE pic.twitter.com/XVWuR5WzvN
— PA GOP (@PAGOP) December 14, 2020
“At the request of the Trump campaign, the Republican presidential electors met today in Harrisburg to cast a conditional vote for Donald Trump and Mike Pence for President and Vice President respectively,” the Pennsylvania GOP said.
“Today’s move by Republican party electors is fashioned after the 1960 Presidential election, in which President Nixon was declared the winner in Hawaii. While Democrat legal challenges were pending, Democratic presidential electors met to cast a conditional vote for John F. Kennedy to preserve their intent in the event of future favorable legal outcomes,” the statement added.
“The conditional resolution states that electors certify their vote for the President and Vice President ‘on the understanding that if, as a result of a final non-appealable Court Order or other proceeding prescribed by law, [they] are ultimately recognized as being the duly elected and qualified Electors for President and Vice President of the United States of America from the State of Pennsylvania,’” the state’s GOP concluded.
David Shafer, the head of the Republican Party of Georgia, also issued a statement about his state’s alternate electors on Twitter.
Had we not meet today and cast our votes, the President’s pending election contest would have been effectively mooted. Our action today preserves his rights under Georgia law.
— David Shafer (@DavidShafer) December 14, 2020
“Because the President’s lawsuit contesting the Georgia election is still pending, the Republican nominees for Presidential Elector met today at noon at the State Capitol today and cast their votes for President and Vice President,” Shafer wrote.
“Had we not meet today and cast our votes, the President’s pending election contest would have been effectively mooted. Our action today preserves his rights under Georgia law.”
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