US electors under unprecedented pressure ahead of presidential vote

Ahead of the official vote today, December 19, to elect the next president, special electors in Republican states in the US are facing unprecedented pressure to confirm the victory of New York billionaire Donald Trump.

Two electoral ballot boxes are brought to the US Congress in preparation for the final counting process in the 2012 presidential election. (Illustration: Getty)

Today, December 19, 538 electors across the United States will officially vote to elect the 45th president, succeeding President Barack Obama. This year's vote is especially notable because New York billionaire Donald Trump, despite having fewer popular votes than his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, was still elected thanks to his promise to win 306 electoral votes.

Mr. Trump's unexpected victory after the November 8 election, however, has created unprecedented pressure on Republican electors. According toNew York DailyRepublican electors across the country have faced protests and thousands of harassing phone calls and even death threats if they do not change their vote by December 19. Some electors have even needed police protection.

"I never imagined that people would harass me like this. I was so distracted," Jim Rhoades, a Republican elector in Michigan, told The Associated Press.Telegraph.

Kay Kellogg Katz, a Louisiana elector, told the newspaperShreveport Times, she has received about 40,000 emails since Election Day on November 8, mostly urging her to vote for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, Republican candidate John Kasich, or even abstain.

In Pennsylvania, the situation is even more dire, with about 20 electors reportedly needing protection from plainclothes police officers. Pennsylvania elector Mary Barket said her mailbox has been flooded with messages asking her not to vote for President-elect Trump. Barket said she is concerned about the impact this will have on her family. But like most electors, Barket said it will not change her decision on who to vote for.

News agencyAPinterviewed 330 of the 538 electors and found that only one Republican elector said he would not vote for Trump as he had pledged. Meanwhile, a Harvard law professor said last weekend that at least 20 Republican electors had contacted him and were ready to turn their backs on President-elect Trump.

According to experts, the possibility of electors who do not support the president-elect gathering to change the results of the presidential election at the last minute in the US is almost impossible.

According to Dan Tri