It’s still theoretically possible for Donald Trump not to become president. But the near-impossibility all depends on the electoral college and the strange US system.
Donald Trump might have won the election by getting more of the votes in the electoral college than Hillary Clinton did. But strictly and legally, it’s not the election that just happened that matters: it’s the one where the members of the electoral college go and represent their voters and pick their candidate.
That’s due to happen on 12 December, at meetings in each state where all Republican or Democrat representatives – depending on how each state voted – will cast their vote. And it will almost certainly go one way, with most of the electors casting their ballots for Donald Trump and making him President.
But that could, theoretically, not happen. Members of the electoral college could potentially change their mind – becoming what is known as a “faithless elector” – and so cast their ballot for somebody else, or not at all.
The phenomenon of the faithless voter is giving people hope that perhaps Donald Trump won’t actually become the President of the US. It’s almost impossible that it would make any difference, but it does show that Donald Trump’s path to presidency might not be simple.
Donald Trump could still not become president because of ‘faithless electors’ and the electoral college
Donald Trump might have won the election by getting more of the votes in the electoral college than Hillary Clinton did. But strictly and legally, it’s not the election that just happened that matters: it’s the one where the members of the electoral college go and represent their voters and pick their candidate.
That’s due to happen on 12 December, at meetings in each state where all Republican or Democrat representatives – depending on how each state voted – will cast their vote. And it will almost certainly go one way, with most of the electors casting their ballots for Donald Trump and making him President.
But that could, theoretically, not happen. Members of the electoral college could potentially change their mind – becoming what is known as a “faithless elector” – and so cast their ballot for somebody else, or not at all.
The phenomenon of the faithless voter is giving people hope that perhaps Donald Trump won’t actually become the President of the US. It’s almost impossible that it would make any difference, but it does show that Donald Trump’s path to presidency might not be simple.
Donald Trump could still not become president because of ‘faithless electors’ and the electoral college
