Members of the Electoral College in Illinois cast their final ballots Monday in Springfield as a small group of protesters demonstrated against President-elect Donald Trump in the Capitol.
Clinton won her home state of Illinois in November, pulling in 55.4 percent of the vote to Trump’s 39.4 percent, according to NBC News. As expected, all 20 Illinois electors voted for Clinton and her running mate Tim Kaine Monday.
Trump won the electoral college nationally, garnering 306 votes to Clinton’s 232, far more than the 270 votes needed to win the presidency.
However, some Republican electors have reportedly taken steps to deny Trump victory by voting against their state’s winner.
Constitutionalists argue that electors are free to vote however they please, although 29 states have Supreme Court-upheld laws requiring them to vote as their state did, NBC News reports. The constitutionality of those laws has never been tested.
Although it’s possible for "faithless objectors" to sway the election results by voting against Trump, it seems unlikely. Even if the electoral college is able to deny Trump the 270 votes needed to be elected, the election would then be sent to the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, who would likely back the billionaire.
The House and Senate are scheduled to meet Jan 6 to officially county the votes.
