Presidential Election

Electors Likely Won't Change Election Outcome

The Electoral College has usually been a formality. That's probably what it will be this time, too.

Electors Likely Won't Change Election Outcome
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The Electoral College's vote on Monday will end one of the most dramatic presidential elections in U.S. history. But what should you — the voter — expect?

Donald Trump defied the odds and pulled off a surprising victory last month, securing 306 electoral votes to Hillary Clinton's 232. 

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That means Trump should easily meet the 270-vote threshold to officially win the presidency and secure his claim on the White House, ending any last-ditch efforts to delegitimize his win. That is, as long as the  electors vote how they originally intended. 

Despite the Russian hacking allegations and concern over Trump's diplomacy skills, only one Republican elector has said he will not vote for Trump. It would take 37 total Republican electors to flip the majority to Clinton. 

Chris Suprun is a Republican elector from Texas. If he votes against Trump, he'll be what's known as a "faithless elector." Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia penalize electors who change their votes.

This presidential election marks the second out of the past five cycles that have seen the winner of the popular vote lose the electoral college decision due to how the electoral votes are spread throughout the states. 

Calls to end the Electoral College surged after Trump's win, but that's probably not going to happen.

And if, somehow, the Electoral College doesn't vote for a majority winner, the decision will be sent to the House of Representatives.

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That's still unlikely to change the outcome of the election, since Republicans hold the majority in both chambers of Congress. 

No matter what happens, it's a safe bet Trump will use his preferred mode of communication — Twitter — to either accept victory or something less gracious.