President-Elect Trump's Win Unlikely to be Overturned

Photo: Business Insider

By Shania Kuo
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​     On the morning of November 9th, the many American citizens who could not stay awake for the conclusion of the election did not know what to expect when they woke up that morning. However, through the restlessness and unease, there was one certain fact. The headlines sprawled across the front pages of news websites and the breaking news of the morning reports all read the same: “Donald Trump Wins the Election.”
         Half of America was elated while the other half of America was distraught. Within twenty-four hours of the results, anti-Trump protests erupted in major cities all across America. Such widespread protests are not common in America following the election of a president, and some may argue that the last time such deep opposition occurred was after the election of President Abraham Lincoln. Many protesters outside of Trump Tower in New York City can be seen carrying signs that read "Not my President" and "Love Trumps Hate," among numerous others. Protesters have even gone so far as to sign petitions stating that the Electoral College should overturn their decision. However, such an action is unlikely. 

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          For one, the electors in the states Trump won are Republican activists who almost always do a surefire job of examining their electoral states in order to ensure that they will back up their party’s nominee.
               Secondly, Trump has a number of electoral voters on his side as opposed to Clinton. If the decision were to be overturned, more than thirty of the electoral voters would have to leave Trump, which is highly unlikely. In addition, those electoral voters would have to back Clinton, which is even more unlikely since republicans who are heavy critics of Trump certainly do not endorse Clinton. Examples of such republicans include Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Lindsey Graham, John McCain, and George W. Bush, all of whom have stated that they would rather write in a name rather than vote for either candidate.
         Even if there were to be too many conflicting sets of votes, then the decision would go to Congress to make the final choice. Currently, America has a Republican-dominated Congress that would most likely not vote for Clinton regardless.
               However, the protests continue on in America, leaving the nation even further divided between the two parties. While the November 8th election notably steers the results toward one candidate, the December 19th election will formally close the results. It is on this day that many of the protesters hope that the decision will be overturned despite the overwhelming odds stacked against them. ​