A last stand, of sorts, for United States democracy will take part in Cal Anderson Park Sunday night. Local proponents of the so-called Hamilton Electors, a movement formed around blocking the election of President-elect Donald Trump, are gathering in the icy park with candles and a message on the eve of the Electoral College’s December 19th vote.
“We are coming together one final time, urging them to vote with their conscience, do their duty to select somebody with the proper qualifications,” organizer John Vogan said.
“This is the final stand, as we hope and pray that these 538 citizens will carry out their duty as the last fail-safe in our electoral process and save this country from the current President-elect,” organizers said in a statement on the planned rally.
Though hope appears dim for such a deus ex machina moment in the drama that is the 2016 presidential election, the Alexander Hamilton-inspired movement has, if nothing else, helped people bone up on their middle school government studies. The 538 electors gather Monday in statehouses around the country. For 200 years or so, the electors have mostly followed the results of the state elections. The hope for the Hamiltons in 2016 is that enough of the college’s members will withhold expected votes for Trump and organize across party lines to back a new Republican candidate — or force the vote to the United States House of Representatives. It’s an unpresidented unprecedented scenario. But so was Donald Trump’s victory.
Sunday night’s gathering continues Cal Anderson’s role as a community gathering place for organizing and protest in the wake of the Trump victory. Organizers of Sunday’s rally chose the park because of its “accessibility” and “special significance to the community.”
Vogan said the Seattle rally is not directly politically affiliated but his own support for the hope of the Hamilton Electors comes after watching Hillary Clinton be outmaneuvered by the Trump campaign.
“It has become very evident to me that we cannot just stand idly by while this plays out,” Vogan said.
You can learn more here about the 8 PM Sunday gathering in Cal Anderson:
United we stand. I’m not giving up, and neither should you. Join us as we gather for this unity vigil on the eve of the Electoral College vote. Let us hope & pray that these 538 citizens will carry out their duty as the last fail-safe in our electoral process & save this country.
This is it. Our last stand. Join us: https://t.co/g8IhbU4O5Z #HamiltonElectors #HamiltonElectorsSEA #DumpTrump #NotMyPresident
— John Vogan (@JohnVogan1) December 18, 2016
