Rep. Andy Harris, a Maryland Republican and leader of the right-wing Freedom Caucus in Congress, suggested that North Carolina’s legislature should consider awarding Electoral College votes to former President Donald Trump before citizens’ votes are counted. Harris made these comments at a dinner, stating that it “makes a lot of sense” due to the impact of Hurricane Helene on the western, rural part of the state where Trump is popular. He argued that voters in disenfranchised counties should not be ignored and the legislature should convene to address this issue.
However, experts like Justin Levitt, a voting rights professor and former Department of Justice official, criticized this idea as profoundly antidemocratic and unlikely to happen. The potential initiative would require passing a law by the North Carolina legislature, which currently has Republican supermajorities but a Democratic governor, making it unlikely to gain majority support.
North Carolina is a battleground state with 16 electoral votes, crucial for presidential elections. The state board of elections has implemented emergency measures to help Hurricane Helene victims vote, but the process for awarding electoral votes to a candidate before the election is considered unconstitutional and highly improbable.
After the election, the State Board of Elections certifies the results, and the governor, Roy Cooper, prepares the certificates of ascertainment to officially declare the winner of the presidential race. The Electoral College then meets to cast votes, which are ultimately counted by Congress. The idea of changing the awarding of electoral votes after the fact is seen as against democratic principles and unlikely to occur in North Carolina.
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