Jeremy Evans of Pensacola is one of Florida’s 29 delegates to the Electoral College. On Dec. 19, he will travel to Tallahassee to cast his vote in the Florida Senate chambers.
On “Pensacola Speaks,” Evans said he has received emails and phone calls regarding his vote.
“Emails, I have been getting anywhere between 50 and 100 emails a day,” he said. “I think that it took them awhile to get my phone number. Last Friday I started getting the phone calls and they are anywhere between 30 to 40 phone calls.”
What the callers are starting to realize is the Florida delegation can not flip its vote from Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton.
“We had to file an oath with the Secretary of State that basically is a signed and notarized oath, so it would be a felony to violate that oath,” Evans said.
I know of several attorneys who have volunteered to represent faithless electors pro-bono. (One is Lisa Bloom) Also there are funds available to pay the fines of any elector who chooses to vote for someone they are not pledged to support.
This Florida law has not been tested in court. But in other states, courts have recognized the responsibility of electors to vote according to their conscience.
There are times in life when a person may need to violate a silly little law for conscience sake. The prospect of electing a man who has absolutely no moral compass to the presidency is one of those times.
I realize that the staunch republican electors from Florida are unlikely to vote for Hillary Clinton, but a vote for Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, or John Kasich is certainly a preferable option to voting for Donald Trump.
The Rev. Holly Boardman,
Orlando, Florida
So if the Florida delegation can not flip its vote from Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton, why then even have Electoral College Delegates?
Cut the expenses of such and make it all automatic.
Why waste everyone’s time involved in it?