At least two of Washington state’s 12 Democratic electors may not vote for Hillary Clinton, regardless of what voters decide.
Robert Satiacum, a member of the Puyallup Tribe, told The Seattle Times there is “no way” he’s voting for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
“No, no, no on Hillary. Absolutely not. No way,” said Satiacum, who supported Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders during the primary.
“She doesn’t care about my land or my air or my fire or my water,” Satiacum told the Associated Press.
Satiacum, 56, was selected as an elector during the state’s Democratic Primary Convention, which was dominated by Sanders supporters, and tradition requires him to cast his ballot for the winner of the popular vote. The most recent Washington state poll puts Hillary Clinton 12 points ahead of Republican candidate Donald Trump, 50 percent to 38 percent, Real Clear Politics reports.
There is no law requiring electors to cast their ballot for the candidate who wins the popular vote, but Washington state imposes a $1,000 fine on those who defect.
Satiacum’s tribe, which donated more than $460,000 to the Clinton Victory Fund, issued a statement last month that supported his “personal convictions” but pointed out that Satiacum pledged to vote for the winner of his state’s popular vote. The Puyallup Tribe contends Satiacum “risks dishonoring himself” if he violates that pledge, according to the Times.
On Friday, Satiacum make it clear he’s never voting for Clinton, regardless of whether his decision could mean the difference between a President Clinton and a President Trump.
“I hope it comes down to a swing vote and it’s me,” he said. “Good. She ain’t getting it. Maybe it’ll wake this country up.”
Satiacum is not alone.
Fellow Democratic elector and Bernie Sanders supporter Bret Chiafalo, 37, recently told the Associated Press he may also become a “conscientious elector” and refuse to vote for Clinton, though he’s still on the fence.
“I have no specific plans, but I have not ruled out that possibility,” he said.
Chiafalo, who opposes the Electoral College system, believes that state fines or penalties on electors who cast their ballot against the popular vote are unconstitutional.
Satiacum told the Times he couldn’t face his children and grandchildren if he voted for Clinton, and he’s not a fan of Trump, so he’s unsure what exactly he will do when the state’s electors meet at the capitol on Dec. 19.
Satiacum said other Democratic electors have contacted him with the same predicament.
“We are looking down off the cliff. As humanity we are there,” he said. “We cannot go four more years with either of these idiots.”
CBS News reports:
Washington state has 12 Democratic electors, and while it’s rare for “faithless electors,” as they’re called, to make much of a difference in the general election, the tight national race is amping up pressure for both campaigns in their mad scramble for votes. One candidate must get a majority of the 538 Electoral College votes – at least 270 — in order to win the presidential election.
Washington state’s last renegade elector was in 1976, when now state Sen. Mike Padden voted for Ronald Reagan over Gerald Ford, the Times reports.
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