Robert Satiacum, an elector from Washington state, has announced that he will not be voting for Hillary Clinton. Mr. Satiacum, a Democratic elector and die-hard Bernie Sanders supporter, spoke to local media explaining that he simply can not in good conscience back Clinton.
In a recent interview, which angered many Democrats, Satiacum had a few choice words for the nominee of his party. The elected official called the former first lady a criminal and said that during her career she has flip-flopped on various policies.
Satiacum, a member of Washington’s Puyallup Tribe, also said that Clinton does not care about native Indians. Here is a portion of the interview:
“She will not get my vote, period. Sanders did a better job of reaching out to Native Americans. She doesn’t care about my land or my air or my fire or my water. She will not get my vote, period.”
Asked if he will vote for Donald Trump, he indicated that neither of the two candidates is fit to be president. He shared:
“She has done nothing remarkable as Secretary of State or as the senator of New York. She’s bought and paid for … I just can’t get behind her. There’s no character there.”
He added that he will vote for a cartoon character. He revealed:
“Maybe I’ll vote Mickey Mouse. In all seriousness, maybe I should vote for Bozo the Clown.”
There are 12 Democratic electors in Washington, and Clinton is expected to win 11 of them. If Clinton loses the election by one elector, Satiacum will be the man to blame. Mr. Satiacum says he does not care; he claims that other officials are applauding him and he is pushing others to follow his path.
According to the National Archives, 99 percent of electors vote the party line and the agency added they do not believe that one lone elector has ever changed the result of an election. Forty eight states have adopted the rule of the winner of the state’s popular vote gets all of the state’s electors.
It is worth noting that it is nowhere written in the Constitution that an elector must support the candidate of their party. Satiacum, who is seen as a “faithless elector,” will be hit with a $1,000 penalty for not voting for Clinton.
