Donald Trump Wins Electoral College Voting; Only 2 Electors Betrayed Him
Donald Trump overcame his final 'hurdle' to enter the White House next month as he won in the voting of the Electoral College on Monday (December 19), defeating the final push by a section of distractors to block him from acceding the presidency.
Trump defeated his nearest opponent Hillary Clinton in the election of November 8 although he trailed his rival in the popular vote, which raised questions over the justification of the Electoral College in American presidential election. A last-ditch effort was initiated to stop Trump, a polarizing figure, from becoming the president through 'breaking-the-rank' voting by the electors. But it did not happen and the Republican leader got more than 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency.
Although the Electoral College voting is a mere formality to confirm the winning candidate as the president but the event became significant this year after a group of Democratic activists eyed to persuade Republican electors to vote for Clinton instead of Trump.
Ultimately, half-a-dozen electors broke the tradition and 'betrayed' their own states' voters' preference - the largest number of "faithless electors" the country has witnessed in over a century. Of the six, only two electors from Texas, the big state which Trump won last month, voted against him while the number of electors who went against Clinton were four. Trump finally settled with 304 votes, two less than that he got in November. Clinton got 227 votes.
While Trump tweeted about his victory and also promised to work hard to unite the country, protests were staged across the country seeking his ouster. The Electoral College voting was also briefly disrupted in Wisconsin.
The votes will be officially counted at a joint congressional session on January 6 while Trump will officially take oath as the 45th president succeeding Barack Obama on January 20. Share your thoughts below!
