Can Hillary Clinton Still Win? Electoral College To Vote In December After Candidate Wins Popular Vote

Hillary Clinton supporters aren’t ready to give up hope. A Change.org petition created Wednesday wants the Electoral College to vote for the Democratic candidate instead of President-elect Donald Trump.

“On Dec. 19, the electors of the Electoral College will cast their ballots. If they all vote the way their states voted, Donald Trump will win,” the petition reads. “However, they can vote for Hillary Clinton if they choose. Even in states where that is not allowed, their vote would still be counted, they would simply pay a small fine, which we can be sure Clinton supporters will be glad to pay!”

The petition doesn’t want the electors to vote for the New York businessman. “Mr. Trump is unfit to serve,” the petition says. “His scapegoating of so many Americans, and his impulsivity, bullying, lying, admitted history of sexual assault, and utter lack of experience make him a danger to the republic.”

The petition adds Clinton should be president because she won the popular vote. “There is no reason Trump should be president,” it says. “She won the popular vote.” The latest poll showed Clinton had 400,000 more votes than Trump, according to CBS News, CNN and NBC News.

The problem with the plea is the way the Electoral College works. When Americans head to the polls on Election Day, they vote to elect people of the Electoral College. The amount of electors each state has is based on its population. Trump received 290 votes under the Electorial College system, while Clinton won 228 votes.

There is a chance that electors can “go rogue.” It even has a name: “Faithless elector.” But it rarely happens. The last time this occurred was in 2008. Instead voting for Democratic candidate John Kerry, an elector in Minnesota cast a vote for John Edwards. It’s assumed this was an oversight, the New York Times reported.

The Electoral College vote takes place on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December. For this election, that makes the date Dec. 19.

By Friday, the petition had 1.3 million signatures. It has a goal of 4.5 million.

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