Today, Colorado Democrat electors Polly Baca and Robert Nemanich took their cause to the Colorado Supreme Court, asking for an emergency hearing. This is in response to a lawsuit filed by Secretary of State Wayne Williams, where Denver District Court Judge Elizabeth Anne Starrs affirmed sanity and set the stage for a clean process when Colorado’s electors meet at the Capitol on Monday.
Williams wanted clarity in how to carry out his duties in a situation where faithless electors, immediately after taking an oath, refuse to cast their votes in accordance with the state’s popular vote.
State law makes it clear that Colorado electors must vote for the president and vice president candidates who won the state’s popular vote. It also charges the Secretary of State with administering the electoral college vote and “immediately” replacing electors who “fail to act.”
Judge Starrs’ ruling simply states that Colorado electors must vote for Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine, and if they do anything other than that, they have failed to act and will be replaced until the state finds nine people willing to do the right thing. The Democrat party is charged with providing the replacement electors.
Assuming the Colorado Supreme Court does not side with the Faithless Electors, will they still defect? Will Democrats have a few people waiting in the wings to cast their votes for Hillary?
Any way you look at it, though, Baca’s and Nemanich’s fifteen minutes is tick…tick…tick…almost over.