A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit from three Democratic presidential electors against Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams alleging that Williams violated their constitutional rights during the highly contentious 2016 Electoral College vote. The trio contended that Williams acted unlawfully by not allowing them to vote their conscience instead of on behalf of Colorado voters when casting their presidential votes. But U.S. District Court Senior Judge Wiley Y. Daniel rejected that premise, saying they were requesting he “strike down Colorado’s elector statute that codifies the historical understanding and long-standing practice of binding electors to the people’s vote, and to sanction a new system that would render the people’s vote merely advisory.”
In his 27-page ruling, Daniel added: “I reject this invitation, finding not only that plaintiffs lack standing but that their claims fail to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.”
The lawsuit stemmed from Democratic elector Micheal Baca’s decision to vote for Ohio Gov. John Kasich instead of Hillary Clinton during the Electoral College process in December 2016. He was removed as an elector by Williams as a result, a decision that put Colorado in the center of the debate about the Electoral College following Donald Trump’s victory. That’s when Baca and other Democratic electors tried to deny Trump the votes he needed to take control of the White House.
Full Article: Federal judge tosses “faithless” presidential elector lawsuit against Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams – The Denver Post.