Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

A sh*t ton of celebrities made a video urging Electoral College voters not to pick Trump

37 GOP electors would be required to break their pledge to delay Donald Trump's official election

Clarisse Loughrey
Thursday 15 December 2016 14:41 GMT
Comments
A whole load of celebrities urge electors not to vote for Trump

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

In a move similar to the "sh*t ton" of celebrities gathered by filmmaker Joss Whedon for his Save the Day initiative, which urged voters to stop "a racist, abusive coward who could permanently damage the fabric of our society", celebrities are once more gathering together to push for urgent action.

Unite for America is a multi-partisan movement founded by concerned citizens in an effort to "prevent a candidate unfit for presidency from taking office", urging the Electoral College to follow through with its own created purpose in preventing the election of a demagogue.

As Martin Sheen explains, the Federalist Papers state that the Electorial College exists to ensure anyone who gains presidency is, "to an eminent degree, endowed with the requisite qualifications".

The Electoral College consists of 538 members who will convene on Monday to vote for the next president; with Trump gaining the necessary 270 votes to win with a total of 306, requiring 37 GOP electors to switch their votes to delay his official election.

Therefore, the video urges GOP electors to vote for any candidate they deem "especially competent" for the position, not specifically to switch their vote to Hillary Clinton. Those involved state that Trump clearly lacks the necessary "qualifications", "stability", and "clearly the respect for the constitution of our great nation".


There have been 157 instances of faithless electors - those who do not vote for the candidate pledged - so far, though none have yet to affect the ultimate outcome of an election.

A Harvard law professor claims that between 20-30 GOP electors are ready to break their pledge, though hopefully this move will be maintained under reported threats from the Trump campaign that there will be "political reprisal" if they rebel against him.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in