State high court upholds $1,000 fines on 'faithless electors'
OLYMPIA — There’s nothing unconstitutional about $1,000 fines the state imposed on the Democratic presidential electors who voted for someone other than Hillary Clinton in 2016, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
In an 8-1 decision, the court rejected the argument of so-called “faithless electors” Bret Chiafalo of Everett, Esther John of Seattle, and Levi Guerra of Warden that the civil penalty infringed on their constitutional rights to free speech which allowed them to vote their conscience as members of the Electoral College.
Justice Barbara Madsen, writing for the majority, said the state is empowered under the U.S. Constitution not only to draw up the rules for elections, but also to determine how to enforce them.
“An elector acts under the authority of the State, and no First Amendment right is violated when a state imposes a fine based on an elector’s violation of his pledge,” Madsen wrote in the majority opinion.
Read more: https://www.seattleweekly.com/news/state-high-court-upholds-1000-fines-on-faithless-electors/
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