First, we had a handful of electors who filed 527s in Colorado to raise money for legal fees, namely to fund lawsuits challenging state election laws that tie the Electoral College vote to the winner of a state election. A federal judge appointed by former President Bill Clinton dismissed the lawsuit by two Colorado electors, saying the whole thing sounded like a political stunt—and that firing these public officials would disrupt the peaceful transition of power. Now those electors must vote for the winner of the state election.
This group of wannabe crooked electors called themselves the Hamilton Electors. Yesterday, another Colorado judge ruled that they must vote for whoever wins the state. What’s more, the ruling also authorized the secretary of state to replace the crooked electors and prosecute them for violating state election law (via Denver Post)
Denver District Judge Elizabeth Starrs ruled that state law requires members of the Electoral College, whose body meets at noon Monday, to vote for the presidential and vice presidential candidates who received the most votes in Colorado.
The order also gave Secretary of State Wayne Williams, a Republican, the authority to replace electors who break the law, essentially ending Colorado’s role in the “Hamilton Electors” movement to block Trump from winning the White House.
“If (presidential electors) take the oath and then violate the rules, there will be consequences,” Starrs said in an order issued by the justices.
The judge declined to outline possible penalties but said she believes state law allows voters who take an oath as a public official to face criminal charges. Public officials charged with failing to fulfill their duty, a misdemeanor, could face a fine of up to $1,000 and a year in prison.
The rumored alternative candidate is Ohio Gov. John Kasich, but he has made an unmistakable pitch: Don’t vote for me. This revenge attempt to block Trump is ridiculous. We risk dragging the country into a constitutional crisis. The pressure on Hamilton Elector appears to have ended in Colorado. But this drama likely won’t end until Trump is officially declared the next president of the United States.
