Electoral College: Monday brings Trump’s moment of truth.
Protests likely, but little suspense on outcome
WASHINGTON – After all the failed lawsuits, the recounts, the falsehoods and conspiracy theories, President Donald Trump will finally meet his electoral fate Monday.
Across all statehouses amid a global pandemic, 538 electors are set to convene to cast their votes for either President-elect Joe Biden or Trump, reflecting the popular votes in their states.
Although protests are likely at some capitol buildings, the outcome should offer little suspense. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are set to end the day with 306 electoral votes, topping Trump’s 232.
Historically, the Electoral College meeting is a formality given little attention. But Trump’s unprecedented efforts to overturn the election have magnified every turn in the election calendar and shined the spotlight on electors who are usually overlooked.
Raising the stakes, some Senate Republicans circled the date as the moment they would finally recognize Biden as the president-elect. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell last month said that “the Electoral College will determine the winner.”
“This is the moment of truth, and something that is already inexorable becomes fully locked in,” said Ben Wikler, a Wisconsin elector pledged for Biden and chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. “This year, more than ever,
it’s almost a sacred act to cast the official votes that have been determined by voters to choose the most powerful person in the world.”
The Electoral College meeting comes after Trump, who has leveled baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, has lost a barrage of lawsuits seeking to overturn the election.
He also failed to convince state lawmakers in states he lost to certify their own separate slates of Trump electors. It means Monday will lack the drama of competing slates of electors.
“We’ve seen pretty clear signals from state legislators that’s not going to happen,” said Rebecca Green, director of William and Mary School of Law’s election law program.
Eliminating more suspense, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in July that states
can insist members of the Electoral College support the winner of the popular vote on Election Day, prohibiting rogue electors in most states.
“You can expect, as a result of that ruling, a lot fewer shenanigans,” Green said.
With Trump facing a loss in the Electoral College, the president and his allies have shifted their focus to Jan. 6, when a joint session of Congress meets to count the electoral votes and certify a winner.
But expected efforts by Republican House members to contest individual states’ electors were dealt a blow Tuesday when most states – having resolved election disputes – appeared to meet the safe harbor deadline constitutionally guaranteeing their electors are counted.