SEATTLE -- The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against rogue 2016 Electoral College voters in Washington state.

The unanimous decision upholds the Evergreen State's law to fine or remove "faithless electors" who refuse to cast their ballots for the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote in the state.

Paul Smith is vice president for litigation and strategy with the Campaign Legal Center, which filed a brief supporting Washington state's law. He said electors could be influenced in other ways if states weren't allowed to rein them in.

"There's no conflict-of-interest rules. There's no disclosure rules. They could be getting paid by the Russians. None of that would be illegal," Smith said. "And so, that was just one of the arguments that was made to the Court about how we really ought to keep the electors as mere placeholders, figureheads who just vote the way the state voted."

Thirty-two states have laws on faithless electors, but only 15 impose a penalty, such as a fine or removal. The Washington state elector involved in this case, Bret Chiafalo, said he wanted to expose the Electoral College as an undemocratic institution.

Wilfred Codrington, a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, said he agrees with Chiafalo's argument that the Electoral College is undemocratic. In the past two decades, for instance, two presidents have won the Electoral College vote but not the popular vote.

But Codrington said the justices didn't touch that issue, instead making a narrow decision about faithless electors.

"It patches up what was a crack in the Electoral College," Codrington said. "There's many arguments about the problems with the Electoral College, and this is one of them."

He said the justices understood that the November election likely is going to be contentious, especially with a pandemic raging.

"What we don't need is another curveball in our elections, and particularly this election," he said. "So they were trying to decrease the possibility of chaos in an already chaotic system."

Under Washington state law, the penalty for faithless electors back in 2016 was a $1,000 fine. Since then, lawmakers have strengthened the law so that electors are removed and replaced if they don't vote for the candidate who wins the state.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.




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An Indiana debate over history and power is growing. Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith recently defended the Three-Fifths Compromise in a social media video. The compromise counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxes.

Beckwith called it a "great move" for America at the time, and praised the group WallBuilders, describing them as the "gold standard" for teaching U.S. history.

The Indiana Citizen investigated both claims. Publisher Bill Moreau called on Hoosiers to pay attention.

"We have been working on a project since the first of the year that we called: 'One Heartbeat Away: Do Christian nationalists have an agenda for Indiana?' Lt. Gov. Beckwith is literally one heartbeat away from being governor," he said.

If Beckwith became governor, he could shape education policy. That includes choosing textbooks. The Indiana Citizen's report found WallBuilders promotes views rejected by most historians. Some Hoosiers agree with Beckwith and say his views reflect America's religious roots.

Moreau encouraged Hoosiers to stay informed and take a closer look at the history Beckwith promotes.

"Understand what Lt. Gov. Beckwith said about the Three-Fifths Compromise," he added. "How he attributes that analysis to this group called WallBuilders - which he considers to be 'the gold standard for learning the real history of America.'"


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Seattle's City Council voted last week to put the city's Democracy Voucher Program on the ballot to be renewed in August and supporters of the program are looking to take it statewide.

Launched in 2017, the program gives each resident four $25 vouchers to donate to participating candidates. Data show the program has boosted voter turnout, increased small donors fivefold, and encouraged more women and people of color to run.

Spencer Olson, spokesperson for the nonprofit People Powered Elections Seattle, said voucher programs counter nationwide voting rights rollbacks and model a more inclusive democracy.

"It's proof that we can reduce the influence of big money, can expand participation, and can give regular people a stronger voice in who represents them," Olson outlined.

People Powered Elections has been working on a bill for next session to bring democracy vouchers to Washington's state legislative races. Participating candidates must get a minimum number of signatures and small donations to qualify and must adhere to contribution and spending limits.

Critics of the program said it creates new avenues for corruption because candidates will be motivated to lie about where the contributions come from. Olson countered so far in Seattle there has been no evidence of widespread misuse or fraud, adding there are robust legal safeguards in place.

"Anyone who commits theft, forgery, trafficking or unlawful transfers of democracy vouchers face steep penalties and fines and up to time in jail," Olson pointed out.

Olson noted Seattle's success has inspired interest from other cities and counties. He added a statewide voucher program for legislative elections could create infrastructure to expand it locally, helping smaller communities hold more competitive races.

"I used to live over in Kittitas County for many years, and it was very common to have an uncontested election or not even have anyone run for local office," Olson recounted.

A bill to bring a voucher program to Washington's state elections will be introduced next year.


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Indiana activists with the 50501 movement will hold new protests this summer against the Trump administration.

The effort, which stands for "50 protests, 50 states, one movement," plans to expand beyond the Statehouse into smaller Indiana communities.

Alisa Advani, Indiana chapter member of the 50501 movement, said local organizers will lead the new events. Advani explained the movement wants to fight government overreach and protect constitutional rights.

"It's a national group," Advani pointed out. "It was designed specifically so that there would be coordinated protests in every state on the same day, and it's grown exponentially. Now, we've had protest groups pop up by the 10s, 20s, 30s across every state."

Critics said the protests exaggerate federal actions. Some argued they turn legal and policy debates into political fights. National political analysts said the 50501 movement reflects political division and growing public concern about the role of government.

Advani noted more 50501 groups are forming across the country. The Indiana chapter plans to announce summer protest dates soon.

"A lot of people in the United States are upset," Advani emphasized. "They see a loss of constitutional rights and due process. And they've decided to come out in protest to send a very clear message to Congress and the President of the United States that we will not stand by idly and let this happen."

The group said it wants to create a space for people who may have been afraid to speak out in the past. Advani added they accept new members from all political backgrounds, including those who once supported current federal policies.


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