Donald Trump will have hundreds of electors, of the Electoral College, help him go from President Elect, to President of the United States.
Many of them, including in northeast Ohio though, are under siege, facing all sorts of pressure to vote for anyone but Donald Trump.
“I’m calling to ask you as an elector to respect the will of the American people,” said the voicemail playing on Tom Coyne’s phone at work.
Coyne is a Republican Ohio Elector and Brook Park Mayor. He has pledged his electoral vote for Donald Trump. Since the election though, he’s been inundated by requests, thousands of calls and emails, to his home and office, asking him to instead, vote for Hillary Clinton.
“I’m extremely worried about the future of our country,” continued the woman in the voicemail.
“They’re suggesting that he’s not going to serve all Americans,” said Coyne.
Coyne guessed the calls are coming from a well-organized cohort of Clinton supporters, angry at the outcome of the election and making a last ditch effort to do what they can to de-rail a Trump Presidency.
“He’s got conflict of interest, he’s got this, he’s got that, everything under the sun, except the fact is, is that according to our constitution, he has been duly elected President of the United States,” said Coyne.
Coyne and 17 other Ohio Electors will vote Monday for Donald Trump. The group is bound by state law, all are required to cast their vote for the ticket that wins the state.
That hasn’t stopped the surge of people pleading with Coyne though, trying to tap in to his devout duty, “Some people are very nice, they put it in a Christmas card saying, how can a good Catholic boy like you cast your vote for Donald Trump?” he said.
That wasn’t a convincing enough argument though for this lifelong democrat, turned Trump supporter, who has pledged his allegiance and electoral vote to the President-Elect.
“Thought process is, this guy isn’t fit to be the President of the United States, well the electors of this country determined that he is and I’m going to vote for him,” said Coyne.
Coyne said every elector in Ohio has received similar messages from anti-Trump organizers. He is confident though, every elector will cast their vote for the President Elect.
News 5 asked the Ohio State Democratic Party if they condoned this activity, a representative declined to comment.
