Will the Arizona Legislature Decide Our Electoral College Votes?

Trump has made it perfectly clear he’s not interested in the will of America’s voters. He is only interested in how he can possibly remain in power regardless of the results of the election just weeks from now.

Barton Gellman of The Atlantic now reports that Trump’s election legal team has been quietly talking to state legislative leaders about a scenario under which Trump might be able to secure the electoral votes of GOP-controlled states regardless of the popular vote in those states.

Among such states is Arizona.

Polls indicate that Arizona’s voters are likely to choose a Democratic President, a Democratic U.S. Senator, and possibly even a Democratically-controlled state Senate or state House — or even all four. Yet the majority of the state’s Senate and House and Governorship are all currently controlled by the GOP.

Here’s how it works: there is no federal constitutional right to vote for state Presidential electors, there is only state laws and the forbearance of state legislatures in continuing to allow electors to be assigned according to the popular vote winner of the state. So, if the majority of the state legislature and the Governor of a state agree to certify a slate of Presidential electors to the popular vote loser, well, that’s sort of their “right”. Right? Well, there is no clear answer to that. And that’s the problem. Voters certainly expect it to be their right, but that “right” is not actually protected in our state or federal constitutions.

So there is only one line of questioning that should be on the lips of every Arizona political reporter when talking to a GOP state legislator or the Arizona Governor: Will you vow to follow the will of Arizona’s voters in certifying Arizona’s electors?

Anything less than a hearty and immediate “Yes!” is the headline of the day.

Second, they (and the state’s Congressional Delegation GOP members) should be asked if they have had any communication with anyone from the Trump Administration or campaign about Arizona’s electors.

Anything other than “No” is the headline of the day.

Then, every GOP legislator and the Governor should be getting FOIA demands for any record of such communications to ensure they aren’t lying, and such demands must be litigated, if necessary.

If there is ANY such communication, that’s the headline of the day.

Voters of Arizona face the very real threat of having their “right” to determine our state’s electoral college votes for President stripped from them by a lame-duck legislature. It’s literally the only election issue that matters between now and when those electors are certified.

11 thoughts on “Will the Arizona Legislature Decide Our Electoral College Votes?”

  1. I still believe that Republicans can be honorable and principled. I would accept your answer as to whether you would commit to not interfering in the allocation of Arizona’s electoral votes, John.

  2. As conspiracy theories go, this is one of the better ones but The Atlantic has always published excellent fiction. The scenario offered could not happen because in order for a bill passed in special session to be effective immediately, it requires a 2/3s vote (emergency clause) and I do not see any Democrats voting for it. Consequently, such a bill would not become law until 90 days after the special session ended, which is after the electoral college meets this year (12/14). In the meantime, any elector who voted for a candidate not receiving a majority of the vote would be removed and be replaced by one who would vote for the winning candidate, as per current Arizona statute.

    • Promise?

      I mean a real promise, not like the one about not confirming a SCOTUS pick in an election year.

      For some reason I just don’t trust Republicans anymore, and I only barely did before.

        • This is why fake conservatives like you fail in the long run.

          We have rights for women and minorities and LGBTQ, in spite of your best efforts, because you cannot convince enough people in a democratic republic to vote for your white supremacist ideas.

          It’s a brawl, no doubt, but over time you lose because your ideas are without merit and are the product of insecurtiy and basic scaredy-catness.

          It’s the arch of justice bending the way it always does, and over time you lose and good wins.

          It bends against small minded hate-filled people like you who think I was asking a real question when I was making a point.

          #clueless

          • Huppenthal & Kavanagh….Tweedledee & Tweedledum. No point in reasoning with either one. Forget it Jake….

  3. Look up the electoral college of Arizona. I looked up all but three (time limits) and those that I researched were all of the Republican Party. We should rise up and flood the television and radio stattions if the popular winner is not honored and the electoral “college’ GOES AGAINST the will of the people!! Seriously, call the stations AND the radion programs.

    • You may be right. But who exactly are “these people” and who’s going to arrest “them”? “They” might well be the people doing the arresting…

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