A group known as the Hamilton Electors—Electoral College members who will cast their electoral votes to help officially decide the president of the United States—has determined the president-elect to be unqualified, adding yet another wrinkle to this historic election. Now, The group has gained a new ally in Republican Texas elector Christopher Suprun, who, in The New York Times, skewered Donald Trump for eschewing leadership and responsibility in the run up to the electoral vote on December 19.
The role of the Electoral College has been met with disdain for quite a while. Many have called for its abolishment altogether, especially after Donald Trump took home the election last month. But the edicts of Hamiltonian Federalism does draw a blueprint: The Electoral College is to determine if a candidate is “qualified, not engaged in demagogy, and independent from foreign influence.”
Trump has actively flaunted his ability to skirt those ideas with impunity. While he has decided to better address his conflicts of interest, there is still a question as to the role his children will play in his presidency. His campaign’s divisiveness has not ceased since he was elected, continuing to further drive a wedge between American citizens.
The Hamilton Electors also gained the support of Harvard’s Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership Lawrence Lessig, who has established an “electors trust.” The trust will provide free counsel to electors who wish to abstain from voting for Trump, according to The Week. The firm Durie Tangri will be providing the free counsel anonymously, ensuring that any electors deciding to move away from Mr. Trump can do so without repercussion.
The Hamilton Electors are eight Electoral College voters from Washington state and Colorado who are opposed to Trump. Their plan is to gather 37 other electors to cast their votes elsewhere, preferably for a moderate Republican like John Kasich of Ohio, punting the result to the House of Representatives. The House would then have to vote for the presidency, though their support for an alternate candidate would in no way be guaranteed.
Mr. Suprun, a 9/11 first responder, put his stake in the ground with this statement.
“Fifteen years ago, I swore an oath to defend my country and Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. On Dec. 19, I will do it again.”
It’s been a big year for Alexander Hamilton. Not only because Lin-Manuel Miranda’s play saved our artistic souls, but also because the man who wrote The Federalist Papers is now in a position to affect the outcome of the most meaningful national election of our lifetime.
