GREENFIELD — About 10 people huddled quietly in the cold outside the town hall Wednesday around 5:30 p.m., burning candles in support of state presidential electors choosing an alternative to President-elect Donald Trump.
“It’s not about policy differences, it’s about wanting the electors to know we are with them when they choose an alternative to Donald Trump, someone who is fit for the highest office in this country,” a statement read.
On Monday, the Electoral College will cast votes based on the public vote tallied in the recent presidential election. However, some — including those at the vigil — are hoping enough electors can be persuaded to abandon commitments to voters and change their vote, thereby barring Trump’s presidency.
In light of recent reports — presented following a New York Times investigation — that election results may have been influenced by Russian hackers, vigil-attendee Becca King said “my hope is that they’ll postpone the event — I can’t believe they would go ahead knowing that the election has been tampered with.”
“His own words are enough to disqualify him,” said Shelburne Falls resident Mark Liebowitz, in the flickering glow of candlelight.
In total, Trump won more than 300 electoral votes in the Nov. 8 election, far more than the required 270. Of the 538 electors, almost 40 Republican electors would have to change their votes for Trump not to receive the presidency.
Deerfield resident Eve Brown-Waite said originally the Electoral College was “put into place (to prevent) exactly what has happened —to protect us from someone like Donald Trump.”
“One would think it was most unlikely,” said event organizer Jodi Falk, about the possibility of electors changing their votes, “except that 40 electors have asked the FBI for a briefing about how foreign powers influenced the election, and more are getting involved,”