We encourage you to personalize this, and to address it to a specific elector if possible.
Dear [Elector],
I'm writing to you to encourage you to decline to cast your electoral vote for Donald Trump. Over the course of his career, as well as this election, he has proven himself to be unfit for the role of commander-in-chief. He has displayed disregard not only for multiple groups of Americans, but for our country itself.
His close ties to Russia, his volatile temperament, his lack of experience, and his bigotry are not qualities that we want representing us to the rest of the world. We do not believe that he represents the views of the majority of the American people, regardless of political affiliation. Additionally, he lost the popular vote by the most significant margin in history.
Please consider casting your vote for another candidate, or abstaining from voting entirely. As a representative of the people, you have a responsibility to listen to your constituents, and millions of us have spoken: do not elect Donald Trump to the White House.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
The letter I am still tweaking:
ReplyDeleteDear NAME, member of the Electoral College.
I am writing you today to urge, no, to beg you to use your power as a member of the Electoral College to vote as a faithless elector – as a Moral Elector– and prevent Donald Trump from becoming president of the United States.
The Electoral College has taken some hits for going against the will of the people – we can’t forget the terrible farce that was the outcome of the 2000 election. But this moment, this chance to save the country from itself, is exactly what the Electoral College was created for.
“Talents for low intrigue, and the little arts of popularity, may alone suffice to elevate a man to the first honors in a single State; but it will require other talents, and a different kind of merit, to establish him in the esteem and confidence of the whole Union, or of so considerable a portion of it as would be necessary to make him a successful candidate for the distinguished office of President of the United States." - the Federalist Papers creating the Electoral College
You, as an individual voter, may not want Hillary Clinton for your president, and I can respect that. But no thinking person can honestly believe that a person with literally zero government or military experience can be a better candidate for the most difficult, high-stakes job in the land, and indeed one of the most difficult jobs on the world stage. No feeling person can elect someone who has targeted so many of his own fellow citizens and pledged to violate their rights as fellow humans.
Let our recent history be your guide. Under Bill Clinton, no wars began, and we ended his term with a federal budget surplus. Under George W. Bush, we started wars with no reason, wars that still have yet to come to an end, and our economy and global position crashed together. Under Barack Obama, we have made strides toward recovery from that crash, and increased the rights of citizens who have been disenfranchised throughout American history. If we allow Trump to take office, with his cabal of science-denying, nationalist cronies, we are ignoring the history of Europe in the first half of the 20th century and ignoring the very real threat that human damage to our ecosystem is wreaking. We’ve had 30+ years to see that Reaganomics does not work – this will be more of the rich getting richer, and no matter who gets rich, we all will starve and drown and riot when the seas overtake us.
You have seen the fear on the faces of this populace since November 8. This is not a people who are bummed their policies got shot down. These are people of all races, faiths, genders, and orientations who are genuinely frightened at what this potential administration could do. We are truly afraid of our government in a way we could only have read about in history books before.
Those who fight against equality have never been on the right side of history. Those who seek to conquer may prevail in the short term, but the negative effects are always long-lasting. Nationalists are never on the side of truth, justice, or the American way. This president sways with whatever breeze strikes him, and acts without thought, and his assembled team have openly pledged to do the most hateful things to their own constituents.
You uniquely have the power to reverse this terrible mistake that the filter-bubble misinformed, fearful, ignorant, and/or hateful public has made. Vote for progress, not repression; vote for tolerance, not teardown. Please. Vote for Hillary Clinton on December 19 and she will work for you and the people you love.
With all sincerity and hope for our recovery,
MY NAME
Here's my letter.
ReplyDeleteDear Electors,
As a patriot, I urge you to use your vote as an Elector to help keep a dangerous would-be tyrant out of the Oval Office.
Our constitution, one of the greatest legal documents in our planet’s history, is what sets apart the United State. The Electoral College was set up by our founding fathers to be a check against the dangerous, yet all too predictable impulses of any population: to be conned by a strong man, an authoritarian who endangers the very foundations of our democracy. Alexander Hamilton was explicit: this mechanism was designed to ensure that “the office of president will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.” In short, it was designed to prevent just this situation: the rise of an unqualified demagogue like Donald Trump.
Donald Trump is indeed completely unendowed “with the requisite qualifications.” He has never served his country before in any capacity. He has dangerously fascist tendencies, including: repeatedly threatening those who would protest against him with legal action and even violence; vilification of minorities, including the desire to put everyone belonging to one religious group in a national registry; railing against a free press and freedom to assemble, hallmarks of our First Amendment; and close association with white nationalists, including the recent appointment of Stephen Bannon - who has said that he is proud to have given a platform to the white supremacist “alt-right” – as his chief strategist. His volatile temperament is not someone we should trust with our nuclear codes.
I deign to remind you that votes in the Electoral College are cast anonymously, shielding individuals from retribution. In addition, although 24 states seek to prohibit so-called faithless electors by a variety of methods, including pledges and the threat of fines or criminal action, most constitutional scholars believe that once electors have been chosen, they remain constitutionally free agents, able to vote for any candidate who meets the requirements for President.
This would not be an abuse of the Constitution. Quite the opposite: it would be the proper use of the Constitution to prevent the abuse of a general election. The Founding Fathers would have approved. More: they would have been distressed to see this not happen, given the circumstances. They chose to found a republic that was not a direct democracy, and this is why: a simple binding majority vote provides no check upon the election of a tyrant.
Although I am a registered Democrat and voted for Hillary Clinton, I am not advocating for you to vote for her in the Electoral College. Your state voted Republican; you should vote Republican as well. I urge you to write in a qualified, unifying figure from the GOP, such as Mitt Romney or John Kasich. The vote will then go to the House of Representatives, who will elect a qualified Republican to fill the office of President.
The nation, and the critical eye of history, will support you in what would be unquestionably a courageous act - an act of heroism. You have the power to save our democracy from a dangerous tyrant.
Thank you for considering my urgent request.
Sincerely,
I plan to send this:
ReplyDeleteCan you -- in all conscience -- let a Trump presidency jeopardize the Paris Climate Agreement from being upheld? Please consider the whole world and future generations. It is up to you to stop him. Could you live with yourself and answer to your children if you don't?
So far, Clinton, has garnered 2 million more votes than Trump.
A sizable majority, bigger than Al Gore’s. America clearly voted for a Clinton presidency.
This, plus the fascist/racist horror of a future Trump (read Pence/alt-right/white suprematist-endorsing) administration being rolled out daily showing weak, manipulable, ego-drivenTrump would just be its puppet;
the many cases of State voter suppression being discovered and the extremely skewing effect of gerrymandering (where it can require 2-3 Democratic votes to equal one Republican);
the consideration of the economically poor Republicans, Independants, Democrats, etc. who voted with their middle fingers to force attention to their economic plight— now regretting their Brexit-like Yes votes —
and the false equivalency of Clinton’s email mistake against a self-confessed sexual predator and alleged rapist, with the temperament of an ADD 3-year-old and vocabulary & reading skills of a third-grader being given the nuclear codes;
the fear of minorities who are now receiving Trump-legitimized physical and verbal bullying by rabid white-supremancists and racists
plus, the admission of Putin of his involvement in the U.S. election --this alone should be enough to --
stay the hand of the Electoral College delegates in their votes for such an immoral, revenge-promising psychopathic con-man who believes in nothing but himself.
Here is what I wrote for my first post to one of the Electors. Please use, interpret, revise as you see fit.
ReplyDeleteDear (Elector - member of the Electoral College)
I would ask you to consider the intent of the Constitution that we hold in such high regard. The Constitution that so many of our citizens have fought & died for. Our Founding Fathers included the Electoral College as a fail safe to letting any one person rise to the highest office who is not sufficiently qualified. It is you and all of the Electoral College to trust that the Constitution was written for just such a time as we currently find ourselves. The Founders of this great country had the foresight, vision and understanding that there would be a time when that fail safe would be required for the good of the country and ALL of it's citizens. They included the ability for YOU the Electoral College to stand up for what is RIGHT and to do the right thing for OUR country. You as well as I know that Mr. Trump is a "...man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.” It's now the most important time in our history to trust that the Founding Fathers had our best interest in mind when writing our GREAT Constitution, and for yourself and many others to act in accordance with those Founder’s intent, and vote from you conscience the way that they had intended. Stand up for "WE THE PEOPLE" as you have been elected & obligated to do, and cast your vote for a candidate who is "in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.”. I, like so many millions, request that you stand up to tyranny, hatred, bigotry, & racism, and instead embrace decency as it is bestowed upon you and vote to move our great country forward by not casting you electoral vote for Mr. Trump.
All the letters I've seen posted here are awesome! Respectful & honest. However on the list before I sent a email if they had twitter I check their account and some were so HOSTILE and complained they were being "pushed around by the Left" to CHANGE their vote, and we may have to turn some of them in b/c they are posting this on public twitter and lying about it. Also its not in line with what I'm reading about being a elector? Time has a great article http://ti.me/2eLviuZ. I decided to not send anymore emails. And why is Pam Bondi of "Play4Pay" fame doing on there as a Elector?
DeleteI guess pushed around is telling them the truth?
First--I'm not Elle (she used my computer a few months ago); but that's the only way I can get onto here to respond. Apologies.
DeleteThe letter is a fabulous idea and everyone responding is so ernest & thoughtful. We all agree that the Electors need to engage with their Constitutional Authority to avoid the Media-generated buffoon called Trump from taking office. Here's a strategy I think we're missing:
Trump likely didn't win the election and there's currently a re-count taking place: Jill Stein initiated the recount in three states, and people in Florida have filed suit for a full recount there (don't believe NPR and other corporate-funded and/or -owned mass media who say the hand count in PA isn't happening. It is). If you read Greg Palast, Mark Crispin Miller, Bob Fitrakis, Jonathan Simon, and a fleet of others, you'll know what I mean when I mention "stripping and flipping" the election; otherwise known as "electoral fraud." I also don't personally believe that "the Russians" hacked the election ... but that's for a longer story and is irrelevant. What is most important is that we realize, 1- Trump likely had the election stolen for him in a similar way that, 2-Hillary's people (whomever they may be) clearly stole the Primary from Senator Bernie Sanders, and that, 3- Sanders is the most popular candidate in the 2016 election cycle and across all party lines; therefore, 4-We encourage all members of the Electoral College to vote for Bernie Sanders for President 2016.
(The veterans arrived at Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota and the energy and commitment to resisting corporate power is strong through prayer and nonviolent action. I would like to encourage all present in opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline to take up this resistance to the potential DT POTUS. It is all connected.)
I'm sincerely interested in your thoughts. Renée Carpenter
Have drafted my letter. Not sure what to use as a subject line. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteHere is the letter I have drafted. I welcome suggestions.
ReplyDeleteDear Elector,
I am writing to respectfully urge you to vote against Donald Trump due to the many reasons why he is unqualified to be president of the United States of America. As I understand it, the Electoral College was created to prevent just such a situation – one in which someone who is vastly unqualified and unfit to serve is somehow elected.
This is not about Democrats vs. Republicans. I urge you to choose someone you believe is fit for office, even if it is likely to be someone I would never vote for.
Here are some of the reasons why I strongly believe Donald Trump is both unfit and unqualified for this office:
• He has proven himself to have a temperamental nature ill-suited to the sensitive demands of the presidency, given his often impulsive actions. A president must not be impulsive.
• He has incited violence at his rallies. A president must never incite violence.
• His election has emboldened hateful acts against many groups of people who already feel vulnerable, including women, African Americans, Muslims, and many more. Even schoolchildren are being told they will be deported by other schoolchildren. It took him days to denounce these acts, and he only did so after being questioned on 60 Minutes.
• He has appointed a known white supremacist, Stephen Bannon, as his chief strategist.
Here is a list of actions he has taken that corroborate the claims made above. Some took place during the campaign, others before. I am not including his upcoming trial on fraud nor the child rape case, which has been withdrawn at least twice after the plaintiff received threats that frightened her out of proceeding and receiving a fair trial.
This list will not be exhaustive because he said and did offensive things so frequently during his campaign that I could not keep track of it all.
• Insulted and disrespected a Gold Star family whose son gave up his life for our country.
• Threatened to imprison Hillary Clinton if he became president.
• Bragged about sexually assaulting women.
• Mocked a disabled reporter (there are those saying this is
not true, but a few seconds of looking at the video would prove to otherwise to anyone who is not in denial about this).
• Cheated contractors by allowing them to complete work then withholding the final payment, claiming the work was inadequate. When these contractors threatened to sue, they were told he would simply file for bankruptcy.
• Told Howard Stern it was okay to call his daughter Ivanka a piece of ass. This is on a tape that was leaked after the Billy Bush tape and can be found. He has also said that if Ivanka were not his daughter, he might date her. As a woman, I do not feel safe having someone who would say these things running this country.
• He has threatened to limit the freedom of the press.
• Threatened to ban Muslims from entering the country.
• Threatened to violate the NATO treaty, wanting smaller countries to pay up if they want to be included. Not everything boils down to dollars and sense, and this would give too much power to Russia.
• Encouraged Wikileaks to leak more government emails.
• Told his supporters to “beat the crap out of” protestors and also offered to pay the legal bills of those who did.
Please do not cast your vote for a president who encourages violence, racism, misogyny, and more. He is a classic bully who resorts to childish name calling. Allowing him to become our president would be disgraceful for our beautiful country.
Thank you for your time.
Respectfully,
Janet Beatrice
I plan to address each elector personally if that's practical. But for now, the letter just says "Dear Elector." That way, if I do forget to include the individual's name, it will still be acceptable.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteA really good letter! I only have a minor copy editing nitpick -- can you change "He has threatened to limit the freedom of the press." to "Has threatened to limit the freedom of the press."? That way, it's consistent with the rest of the bulleted items in that list.
DeleteI particularly like how you ended the letter.
Pat, thanks for the feedback! Thanks for pointing out that inconsistency. It's kind of funny, because I'm an editor who is usually extremely nitpicky about that sort of thing. I blame post-election exhaustion. ;-) Now my big concern is that I don't know how I will find the time to actually send it. But hey, writing it was the hard part. Thanks again!
DeleteI see I'm way delayed with the rest of you! Your letter is good .... except that I'd leave out this sentence: " I urge you to choose someone you believe is fit for office, even if it is likely to be someone I would never vote for." If the electors don't choose someone--like Sanders (see my comment recently posted like how you all posted letters)--then the Republican Congress will do it. Why not ask for what we want, or--if Sanders wasn't your choice--someone who might actually serve the public interest. Trumppites are violent. They will never accept Clinton (nor would I want to) AND--most importantly--I believe the majority of the American public could accept Sanders as a leader. So, after your long list of why not Trump, you could add my 4 points as to why they should elect Sanders: The People's Choice. (And their consciences will feel better) Signed, Renee Carpenter
DeleteI'm trying to focus on the biggest issue for each elector. For example, for the West Virginia electors, I'm talking about how it will be impossible to bring back coal industry. I've been including a link a Time magazine that talks about it.
ReplyDeleteFor the header, I'm going with something nondescript ("Electoral College Vote in December"). If the header indicates that we want them to vote against Trump, they may not read it. If we can get them to read the first paragraph of our letters, we'd have a chance.
I am focusing on FL,MI,OH,WI and PA My 1st batch to FL electors went out yesterday and nearly 1/2 of the Emails bounced. Is there any way to get a more accurate email list?
ReplyDeleteYou can try googling them. They are probably blocking them. Look at a few of their twitter accts.
DeleteEspecially FL. :( :( :(
Florida has an active lawsuit to re-count the vote. Mass media is not reporting (or not reporting accurately) on recounts and reasons they are necessary. Look for info at indy news sites: Greg Palast & Bob Fitrakis are active ... as is, of course, Jill Stein. I post updates on my FB site: Renee Carpenter
DeleteSuggestions on email subject?
ReplyDeleteAnna,
DeleteI just put Dec 19, 2016? Keep is simple and totally none harassing or pushy in any way.
Certain people whom I saw on twitter who "drank the Brawndo" I didn't send to. I received this and at least he was nice also I send him the first example letter:
ReplyDelete"Thank you.
I appreciate your passion and your interest in our country.
I will cast my vote in the Electoral College honoring the majority vote of over 1,100,000 fellow Arizonans who supported Donald Trump in our election to become the 45th President of the United States.
The election is over. I hope you will support Hillary Clinton who has asked that Americans give the new president a chance and keep an open mind.
Bruce Ash"
I'm at Georgia and didn't send to pam bondi for obvious reasons.
No contact or like I said outright Brawndo drinkers. I wonder HOW the Electoral count changed from where Hillary was winning to where it stands now? I am mystified. But I will email tomorrow some more electors. Some of the Trumpsters are claiming we are "Harassing the electoral college". So far all the examples here are respectful and not demanding or harassing.
Thanks to everyone for their hard work!
We need a prominent Republican who opposed Trump to take up the call. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, for example. Anyone from Maine on this blog?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTwo responses thus far, both dismaying for their inaccuracy and disrespect. I don't intend to respond as these men don't seem interested in a respectful conversation (as my email demonstrated). Happy to be proven wrong if anyone has suggestions with how to thoughtfully engage with them:
ReplyDelete1) "I believe your bath number 350 of these emails and the more I get the more convinced me to stay with my convictions I think you need to tell your people if your goal is to annoy people they're doing a great job but other Nat that's it!
Below is the response I have been sending to the several emails received, such as yours.
Boy have you got the process wrong. Not surprising.
Each Elector was elected to represent thousands of citizens. This vote is not their "personal opinion". Electors will do their duty and act to complete the decision process which began on November 8 in the General Election.
Nice try though to get Electors to place their personal opinion above the will of the people.
Please note that, in my state, Elector voting is regulated by state law (i.e, Electors are bound by state law in regards to how each will vote).
Also in my state, encouraging someone to violate a law is a CRIME. Since you are encouraging me to violate a state law, I have turned your email request over to the proper legal authorities for their handling as to a legal disposition.
Good luck with that.
7th Congressional Chairman GOP
Jerry Rovner CAPT (USNR/NJSG-ret)
Freedom is not Free"
2). "First and foremost, much of our country is appalled by your behavior to go against a constitutionally elected President Trump. I will do my job as an elector and will cast my vote for Donald J. Trump and Mike Pence.
You should be ashamed by your behavior. The hypocrisy surrounding emails of this nature is pathetic.
May God bless and inspire our President-elect Donald J. Trump with the wisdom and courage to lead our great nation.
Sincerely,
Robert Graham"
' This vote is not their "personal opinion". Electors will do their duty and act to complete the decision process which began on November 8 in the General Election."
DeleteEXACTLY!
And Trump was not "Constitutionally" elected. Hillary was and IS the Winner by popular vote. Somehow the electors got it really wrong and we might as well have a "coin toss" or dice cups!
I thought about today and decide not to contact anymore just b/c of what happened to you Anna. You should report these people to the FEC. They don't deserve the position they have and are putting party over this Country which is WRONG!
He obviously doesn't know that his job as an elector is not to rubber stamp a candidate.
DeleteClearly (and I'm not Elle) he needs to know that his job is to protect the Constitution ...
DeleteI'm still working on my letter. It seems to me that given the audience we are aiming at, it's best to look at reasons why Trump is temperamentally unfit, and perhaps the interference by Russia, not reasons why his policies are awful, least of all why we prefer a Democrat. I also wonder if there is enough feedback yet to know which electors are simply unwilling to listen. The ones who threaten you with legal action are not likely to change their mind. The ones that say "no" politely might still be worth pursuing.
ReplyDeleteI am contacting you to appeal to you to consider your vote in this electoral college election very, very carefully.
ReplyDeleteIn ordinary election years the electoral college vote has to me always had the feeling of a sort of celebratory cap-off to a well-run, hard-fought campaign season. It is the ultimate confirmation of the will of American people. The winner has fought a good fight, taken the state, and the electors head off to do the job allotted them by the founding fathers of the republic. I imagine afterward some champagne gets popped and some happy toasts are made to a brighter-seeming next few years?
Unfortunately, 2016 was no ordinary election year by any measure.
The Trump campaign has consistently been run against our shared American values. Hatred of immigrants is not what made this country great, strong and respected globally. Disrespect and mistreatment of women is an ugly face to present to the world, at odds with the image we hold of ourselves of the shining city on the hill. This is not who we are or what we represent as a nation or as a culture.
The cabinet Trump is assembling is to be run by a man who has built a career broadcasting white supremacist views and denigrating women for sport. Is this what the electorate voted for? In fact, it is not. The popular vote went the other way. The majority of the American people did not vote for this agenda.
I call on you to honor the best of our American heritage - the land of the free and the home of the brave. The land of opportunity, the shining city in the hill. I ask that your electoral vote reflect the will of the majority of your countrymen and women: do not cast your electoral vote in this historic election for Donald Trump.
Thank you for reading this to the end. I'm happy to discuss it with you further if you have the inclination.
Very sincerely,
Very nice letter.
ReplyDeleteI used this easy tool to email all the electors: http://asktheelectors.org/
ReplyDeleteAnd wrote this letter:
Dear Elector,
My name is Arielle Silver, from CA.
As I understand it, the Electoral College was created with the purpose of preventing someone who is vastly unqualified and unfit to be elected President of the United States of America. I am writing to respectfully urge you to exercise your right -- and, in my humble opinion, duty -- to cast your ballot against Donald Trump in the upcoming electoral college vote.
I, and a majority of American citizens, believe Donald Trump is uniquely unqualified to lead this country for many reasons, including the following:
His alignment with white neo-nationalism ideology, as shown by his pandering to that quarter and his selection of white supremacist Steve Bannon, CEO of Breitbart Media, as his closest advisor;
His threat to limit freedom of the press, his restriction of press passes during his campaign to reputable news organizations, his advancement of conspiracy theories, and his loyalty to deceptive news sources;
His undemocratic rally call to imprison his political opponents, including the "lock her up" cry, in reference to his opponent Hillary Clinton;
His impulsive speech and actions, as demonstrated at the debates, in broadcast interviews, and on Twitter;
His explicit disrespect to military war heroes, including U.S. Senator John McCain;
His lack of any experience working in government or as a civil servant, and his exploitative business practices based on cheating contractors and avoiding taxes;
His frequent championing of violence at rallies, speeches, and in private conversations, as a method of conflict dispute and exertion of power over others;
His continual misogynistic degradation of women, as documented throughout his presidential campaign in both current and historical events;
His threat to withdraw from NATO alliance;
His pandering to Putin;
His endorsement of war crimes.
Because of his widely noted intolerance toward minorities of most kinds, including women, immigrants, Mexicans, and the disabled, because of his veneration of violence, and because of his questionable foreign policy statements, last week our ally, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, issued a cautionary warning to America, saying: “Germany and America are connected by values of democracy, freedom and respect for the law and the dignity of man, independent of origin, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political views. I offer the next President of the United States close cooperation on the basis of these values.”
For the same reason, Irish Senator Sen. Aodhán O’Riordáin said of Trump's election, "I don't use the term fascist lightly. What else would you call someone who threatens to imprison his political opponents? What else would you call somebody who threatens to not allow people of a certain political faith into their country? What would you say, or what would you call somebody who was threatening to deport 10 million people?" and appealed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, asking,"How we are supposed to deal with this monster that has just been elected president of America?"
This list is no where near exhaustive, but I must add that this is not about political party affiliation. Though I have had opinions about past election outcomes, never have the results moved me to write to the Electors with this urgent plea. I respect the democratic election process, but no election in my lifetime has ever brought what many are calling a "fascist" to the White House. I urge you to exercise your democratic right to support the values upon which this country was not only founded and must continue to stand. I urge you to cast your electoral vote against Trump.
Thank you for your time and consideration, I appreciate and respect the role you serve in our electoral process.
Sincerely,
Arielle Silver
Thanks for sharing this resource. May I ask what you used as a subject line?
DeleteDoes any one know why PamBondi is on the list? Isn't she up for charges for Play to pay with Trump? Or is the list outdated!? Really good article in Time http://ti.me/2eLviuZ about WHY we have them unfornately it seem they have for the most part forgotten what they are supposed to do! Anna's responses are really rude, and uncomprisming and put Party over the Great good. Also lies Fake news Go to Twitter #ElectoralVotes and you will see Trump winning all the popular vote! I have tried to post but I'm only one person.
ReplyDeleteI read the requirements for electors and from what I understand you cannot hold a position in the U.S. Government. It looks as if she and a few others in Florida are State employees, so for that reason they are eligible. I still don't think that's right, but it is what it is.
DeleteShe has been involved with #Play4pay! Its documented and I thought he was getting sued in NYC about that Ricco? He's getting sued all over the place. She should not be on there.
DeleteI agree with you, but unfortunately the "powers that be" have decided not to prosecute her for "play4pay" and it is not being investigated, so until a crime is investigated and she is found guilty, she can legally be an elector. Shameful that nothing is being done about this and a myriad of other questionable activities swirling around this election.
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ReplyDeleteHere is my letter: Dear Elector, I write to convey my concern at the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States and appeal to you to exert your right to vote independently. I request this because: 1. Trump is unprepared to be President 2. Trump has no expereince in government and no idea how to be President 3. Trump is on record demeaning people with disabilities 4. Trump is on record abusing women 5. Trump's cabinet selections thus far are extemists, white supremacists, who have no government experience 6. Trump's election has caused the Southern Poverty Law Center to respond to nearly 1000 hate groups, and the number is on the rise since Trump's election 7. Trump's on record stating that he will support requiring Muslims to register themselves in this country 8. Trump lost the poplular vote by nearly two million votes, far more than any other loss in history. Please vote FOR Hilllary Clinton and bring an experienced leader into the office of President of the United States.
ReplyDeleteIf you need more compelling incentives consider this from David Schultz, Huffington Post, Nov. 16, 2016: "Alexander Hamilton, writing in defense of the Electoral College in Federalist Paper 68, declared of the President “the sense of the people should operate in the choice of the person to whom so important a trust was to be confided.” Yet, he declared that such a choice should be entrusted to a small group of people consisting of “men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the station. . .[and who] will be most likely to possess the information and discernment requisite to such complicated investigations.” In his Notes of the Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787, James Madison quotes several of the constitutional framers who opposed directed popular selection of the President, such as Elbridge Gerry, who saw the people as “uninformed, and would be misled by a few designing people.” And in Max Farrand’s definitive The Records of the Federal Convention of 1987, Roger Sherman said that the people will “never be sufficiently informed.” Moreover in his classic defense of the Electoral College, historian Martin Diamond saw the institution as a means to protect minority rights, guarding the country against regionalism, sectionalism.
The Electoral College was the product of slavery, racism, and distrust of the people to make their own choices. It is part of a Constitution silent on the right to vote, and to this day there remains no constitutional right for the people to vote for President. The Constitution ignores the popular vote, and delegates to the states the power to select the Presidential electors. It is merely by the grace of state laws that we are permitted to go to the polls to chose the electors who eventually chose the President.
With this election, we will now have experienced five elections where the winner of the popular vote was selected as President but where that winner was not allowed to serve as President. Hope that the Electoral College would protect small states from being ignored or that the Electoral College model would prevent only a few states or regions of the country from determining the presidency have not lived up to the founders’ intent."
You guys---I'm a technical writer. ALL OF THESE LETTERS ARE TOO LONG! No one will read them. Make it a paragraph, maybe two at the most. They're not going to read a novel.
ReplyDeleteEzrotic, I'm a copywriter. I do not think we can explain our position in a paragraph or two. It's true that we should be as succinct as we can. But asking the electors to change their vote is a very serious request. Simply stating that we believe Trump is unfit and unqualified isn't enough. We need to back up our belief with sound reasons.
ReplyDeleteI do believe good formatting is important. Take some time to break your letters down into bulleted points. Avoid very long paragraphs. Make it easy to skim. Hopefully, they are receiving a large quantity of letters and that in itself should have some impact. But I'm against making the letters so short that we don't make our point forcefully and back it up with facts and examples.
Here's my letter:
ReplyDelete"The process of [the Electoral College] affords a moral certainty, that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications."
~ Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Papers #68
Dear Electors:
The current president elect did not make his tax returns available for public inspection.
He bankrupted several businesses and left a notoriously long trail of lawsuits in his wake.
He has no experience in public office.
In public discourse he crudely insults, mocks and demeans people.
If you cast your electoral ballot for the current president elect, you are gambling with our future. He has no record of public service, his business dealings are not transparent, and he has an extremely erratic personal and business history. Only his personal history and persona give us an idea how he will employ the important powers of the highest office. That is not a comforting thought.
Please, do not cast your ballot for that reckless, shallow, fraudulent publicity character.
We need someone with a clear track record in government, someone whose finances are publicly known, and who has the respectful temperament that traditionally has been expected from someone to lead our diverse and great nation.
Our people share so much and depend on each other in so many ways. We need someone who will unite us, not divide us.
Please don't allow that totally unqualified and unsuited man into the highest office.
His personal history suggests that he will use the position to suit himself above all others, but the presidency is an office for someone who will serve everyone.
We need someone there with a clear and transparent record, and a proven ability and desire to serve others.
Please cast your electoral ballot for someone who is qualified for the presidency, not for Trump.
Stuart Reed
a Florida voter
electoral.college@nara.gov
ReplyDeleteI emailed the electoral college and asked for my email to be forwarded to all of the electors.
electoral.college@nara.gov
Thanks All -- I started with some of the letters here and modified it as follows:
ReplyDeleteDear Elector:
You are the last bulwark against the catastrophe of a Trump presidency. I am writing to ask that you exercise this responsibility as if the fate of your country, and maybe humanity, depended on it. Please, do not cast your vote for Donald Trump.
You know his record:
He did not make his tax returns available for public inspection.
As a businessman he is a failure and a fraud who leaves a trail of lawsuits and bankruptcies in his wake.
He has no experience in public office.
In public discourse he insults, mocks and demeans people.
He has sowed division and fear by scapegoating and demonizing minority groups, playing upon the worst fears of Americans.
He is contemptuous of science and knowledge, admitting that he never reads books, and spreading known falsehoods including birtherism and climate denial.
He is erratic, uninformed, deceitful and vulgar.
America is envied throughout the world for the stability of our institutions, institutions for which he shows neither understanding nor respect. Whatever our problems we have not known true political corruption -- the use of public office for private gain -- on a wide scale among our nationally elected figures. In just two weeks since the election Trump has made clear that widespread corruption, nepotism, and incompetence will soon be the norms at the highest level of our government. Don't gamble with our future. Please, do not cast your ballot for this feckless fraud. We may be on the precipice of violent social unrest caused by the great income divide in the United States, upheaval and dislocation caused by climate change, and the potential for annihilation by nuclear-armed rogue states. A Trump presidency makes the world a much more dangerous place for everyone, including everyone who voted for him.
Fortunately, there is still a way to stop him without rejecting our Democratic principles, including the principle of one person one vote. Our last best chance against looming disaster is the principled revolt of our electors by casting their votes for Hillary Clinton, who won the popular election by over 2 million votes and by more votes than any president in history apart from Barack Obama, and who is supremely qualified to defend, retain, and improve our institutions.
I understand that voting for Hilary Clinton may be very hard to do for many electors who align with the Republican party. So although she is the best chance to stop Trump, if you cannot vote for a Democratic candidate, please unite with the majority of Americans who cannot abide the idea of having our values and our stature in the world squandered by this charlatan. Please vote instead for some other member of the Republican party who holds the minimal qualifications of temperament, judgement, intellect, curiosity, decency, and compassion that this office deserves.
Please cast your electoral ballot for someone who is qualified for the presidency and cast the feckless experiment of a minority of the electorate to the dunghill of history.
Nancy
A Maryland Voter
Dear Honored Electors:
ReplyDeleteI'm writing to urge you not to vote for Donald J. Trump for President. I'm not telling you to vote for Hillary Clinton, although it's clear that she won the popular vote by a wide margin ~ unless you are guided by your conscience to do so. I beg you, if you cannot bring yourself to vote for Secretary Clinton, vote for an experienced Republican who is qualified to hold the office with the responsibility and integrity required.
Mr. Trump is unfit to be President. His repeated hate speech—denigrating women, and any other persons because of their skin color, background, cultural heritage, religion, or sexual orientation—is unacceptable. He clearly doesn't understand common courtesy, ethics, or morality. Furthermore, even the most ordinary mental health professional is capable of pointing out Mr. Trump’s narcissism as well as his incapability of distinguishing between a lie and the truth. Plain and simple, he is a dangerous demagogue. He has never held public office, and he has no public service record whatsoever. He has already shown us his unconscionable choices for leadership: a racist, proud of creating constant false news items as a chief advisor; a climate change deniar without any science background to address the environment; a racist for attorney general; and on and on. Moreover, his myriad possible conflicts of interest concerning business dealings with foreign countries are also troubling, as is the charge of fraud concerning Trump University. There are additional concerns that pile up day after day. His continuous appalling behavior is repugnant to all people, disrespecting every American citizen and degrading our country's stand in the world. A Trump presidency would not only endanger our democracy but also put the entire planet in peril.
At the very least, please vote for a president who knows how to be polite and show respect to others. After all, being an ambassador to the world is a large part of the job. Mr. Trump does not even appear to possess this simple shred of decency.
This is not a political issue, but a moral imperative. Please exercise your sacred honor as an Elector, and consider casting your vote for another viable candidate. As a trusted representative of the American people, you have a responsibility to listen to your constituents. Many millions of us have spoken: Do not elect Donald Trump to the White House.
Thank you for your attention.
Janis Hunt Johnson
Medford, Oregon
I truly appreciate the letters that have been shared and generosity to help me compose my letter. Here is what I wrote:
DeleteDear Elector
I am writing to respectfully urge you to reflect on the candidate your state chose and to be emboldened by the position you hold to cast your vote for another candidate, or abstain from voting entirely rather than to cast your vote for Mr. Trump. It is incumbent upon you and all of the electors to preserve "the sense of the people" and to uphold the Constitution to ensure “that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.”
I believe the Electoral College was created for two reasons. The first purpose was to create a buffer between population and the selection of a President. The second as part of the structure of the government which gave extra power to the smaller states. If the founding fathers were afraid of direct election to the Presidency and feared a tyrant could manipulate public opinion and come to power, then this electoral college will have failed to protect our nation by casting it's vote for Mr. Trump.
The president-elect's lack of diplomacy, questionable close ties to Russia and Taiwan, the unprecedented number of conflicts of interest his global business empire presents, his lack of concern for facts, flair for making contradictory statements, propensity toward ambiguity and impulsivity and alarming lack of engagement he is having in daily briefings on global developments and security threats sends a strong message that his presidency will hurt our national interests.
Although I am a registered Democrat and voted for Hillary Clinton, I am not advocating for you to vote for her in the Electoral College. Instead, as you may feel compelled to cast a republican vote, I then urge you to write in a qualified, unifying figure from the GOP. Should the vote then go to the House of Representatives, I pray they will elect a qualified Republican to fill the office of President.
The nation, and the critical eye of history, will support you in what would be unquestionably a courageous act, a patriotic act, an act of heroism.
Sincerely,
Dear Elector,
ReplyDeleteI am a 53 year old non-college educated white male, who has voted Republican, most of my adult life.
I'm writing to you to encourage you to decline to cast your electoral vote for Donald Trump. Over the course of his career, as well as this election, he has proven himself to be unfit for the role of commander-in-chief. He has displayed disregard not only for multiple groups of Americans, but for our country itself.
His close ties to Russia, his volatile temperament, his lack of experience, and his bigotry are not qualities that we want representing us to the rest of the world. We do not believe that he represents the views of the majority of the American people, regardless of political affiliation. Additionally, he lost the popular vote by the most significant margin in history.
But the most pressing reason is that Donald Trump will destroy, at the very least, the Republican Party. With Hillary as president, Republicans would likely win the White House in 4 years, While maintaining majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. If Trump is president, Republicans will lose the Senate in 2018 and both the White House and HoR in 2020…for who knows how long…not to mention the damage he has already done to our standing in the world. The health of our two-party system relies on the clash of ideas from two viable parties.
Please consider casting your vote for another candidate, or abstaining from voting entirely. As a representative of the people, you have a responsibility to listen to your constituents, and millions of us have spoken:
Please do not elect Donald Trump to the White House.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
David Artemison
Seattle, WA
PS. My POTUS voting record: Ronald Reagan, George H-W Bush, Ross Perot, George W Bush, John McCain, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton. (I also supported Republican Senator Slade Gordon, back when moderates were welcome in the GOP)
These are amazing letters filled with concrete, documented facts. I also know that appealing to the Elector's honorable position as a representative of the people and each one's responsibility to present our country to the world with someone who takes the Presidency of our great nation as one of service not ego. The fact that he has cheated many contractors who worked for him & told lies, even to the people who thought he was on their side, will make it difficult for other nations to trust him in any negotiations. How does one find a way to send such a letter to the electors? And I would think that it would be important to send them individually as they may not feel comfortable forwarding them to other electors. Thank you to all who have put thoughtful energy into your letters!! I am a voter in Vermont who did vote for Bernie, but believe him when he thinks he can do more from his position in the Senate.
ReplyDeleteLyna Lou Nordstrom, www.asktheelectors.org has made it easy to send the letters to the electors. They are receiving so many that I'm not sure they will even be able to read them all. I just hope that they have the good sense to notice that if they are getting so many letters, they'd better learn what their real responsibility is and take note that the Electoral College was set up so that they would NOT vote for someone exactly like Trump.
ReplyDeletehttp://asktheelectors.org/
Has anyone looked through the list and noticed at least 1 email address goes to bfoster@donaldtrump.com? It might be completely acceptable but alarm bells are going off in my head. Should someone in the Electoral College have an email address in the name of the candidate?
ReplyDeleteDear Mr. or Madam Elector,
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of my daughter (10 years old), my wife, as well as myself, I do humbly request that when you cast your elector vote that do your duty as a patriot uninfluenced by the trappings of party loyalty. The framers of the Constitution at the onset of this great new experiment set up a safety valve against tyrannical rule, they called it the Electoral College. Alexander Hamilton said that electors were to apply “a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice” and then for you to make your choice. There was not nearly the concern for divisive party factions nor was winner take all politics such a anxiety when our founders created the Electoral College. Our patriotic forefathers could not have possibly imagined the influence of massive wealth through the use of behemoth artificial soulless corporations. The electorate has never been misguided and misinformed at the levels they are today. You have a critically important choice shortly, one that could quite possibly save our nation.
If we take away the pressures of party loyalty and only talk about facts, we are left with a stark picture and very likely an extremely dangerous one. Mr. Trump told us he would drain the swamp from our politics, clearly that is not what he is doing based on his cabinet appointments. Already appointing three billionaires DeVos, Ross, and Ricketts. Mr. Trump even offered Energy Secretary to Harold Hamm, another billionaire, but he turned it down. Plutocracy is defined as society ruled by the small minority of the wealthiest citizens. Our founding fathers never would have wanted for the actual control of the government to be in the direct hands of the Plutocrats.
I understand that you are likely a thoughtful person, so I am certain that you realize that not just our country, but also our world is in a very vulnerable position at this point in time. Catastrophe's, irrespective of whether they are man made or not, are peering around every unforeseeable corner. It is certain that in the next four years our country and possibly our world will need real leadership, not virtual or scripted reality show based leadership. Mr. Trump has shown through his narcissism and his over-sized ego that our nations interests can never be greater than his own personal interests. Please look at all the evidence, he has never held others interest's above his own. Using his non-profit foundation to buy expensive self portraits and to buy off politicians. Even when he pledged to give campaign donations from an event to a veterans group, he did not deliver promised donations until four months later when reporters started to ask questions as to why his campaign had not given the money to the veterans group. Please, I ask for the sake of humanity, is this the person you would want in charge of our massive nuclear arsenal?
ReplyDeleteFinally, I would like to appeal to your sense of morality and common decency. Honestly ask yourself, based Mr. Trumps own words and his conduct, would you trust him in a room alone with your daughters, your granddaughters, your wives, your sisters, your mothers or any female you care about? I dare say the answer to this is no. Do you feel our country needs more division? Again, I dare to say no. Fearing one another will not bring us closer together and it will not make us safer.
You probably know well enough how the process works, but I would be remiss if I did not remind you that if enough electors cast their vote for someone other than Hillary Clinton, then the decision goes to the House of Representatives and that will be a quick vote where Mr. Trump would regain the Presidency. Our founding father's paid a dear price for their patriotism, so you probably know that being a true patriot is not easy, especially if you have to go against an established party machine to do this. Nevertheless, there is a small voice within you that knows the best choice for the United States of America is to cast your vote for Hillary Clinton. You would become one of my and this country's greatest hero patriots for generations to come.
Thank you for your time and for reading my heartfelt plea. May God bless you, your family and our country. History judges well men and women of courage and valor.
Here's my letter:
ReplyDeleteDear (Elector),
First, thank you for your service to our country in such an important way.
I have never reached out to Electors before, even in 2000, when the outcomes of the popular vote and the Electoral College were so different.
I am writing now because I am profoundly concerned about the election result from a constitutional and fundamental place. I beg you to consider your vote on December 19, and think about what it means for our country, not just the Republican Party.
Since the election, we have learned some facts, that had they been considered earlier, might have made a difference in people’s votes on election day, and which I hope will make a difference to you.
First, we know to some extent that Mr. Trump’s worldwide business interests reach into government dealing with foreign governments for such things as approvals for permits and buildings, etc. We know only to some extent, because he is the first candidate in 40 years not to release his tax information. From the reading I have done (in non-fake news sites, I promise), it seems to me that unless he actually puts his assets in a blind trust (not merely turning over the business to his children), many foreign (and domestic) decisions he makes in foreign policy will be suspected if not actual conflicts of interest. His foreign decisions would almost certainly come into direct violation of the Emoluments Clause of the US Constitution, a document I believe both you and I cherish. Consider his meeting with the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe: his daughter was there likely discussing family business concerns.
As I’m sure you know, the Federalist Papers were the writing of our founders who laid out the arguments for our Constitution. In Number 68, they expressed concern about the role of the Electoral College, and about the incursion of foreign powers into our government. You have likely read the quote below from that specific paper:
Nothing was more to be desired than that every practicable obstacle should be opposed to cabal, intrigue, and corruption. These most deadly adversaries of republican government might naturally have been expected to make their approaches from more than one querter, but chiefly from the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils. How could they better gratify this, than by raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the Union? But the convention have guarded against all danger of this sort, with the most provident and judicious attention. They have not made the appointment of the President to depend on any preexisting bodies of men [and women] who might be tampered with beforehand to prostitute their votes; but they have referred it in the first instance to an immediate act of the people of America, to be exerted in the choice of persons for the temporary and sole purpose of making the appointment.
I think this describes the situation in which we find ourselves. As you also are likely aware, the CIA has concluded that the Russian government participated in the election in favor of Mr. Trump. Mr. Putin does not take actions just to curry favor, but for reasons that seem dangerous for the world at large and the United States in particular. Even if the country that made these cyberattacks had been one of our allies, our founders made it clear that this is not what we want for our government. They did—and I do—not want “foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils.”
So I am asking, begging you really to consider casting your vote not for Mr. Trump. If you cannot imagine voting for Ms. Clinton, then consider voting for another Republican. If just 37 of you do not vote for Mr. Trump or Ms. Clinton, as you know, the House of Representatives then decides, and I am hopeful enough of them will find a way to vote for someone whom the Russians are not promoting and who will not have conflicts of interest in violation of the Emoluments Clause of our Constitution.
And again, thank you for your service to our country.
Respectfully,