I’m not very satisfied by answers like “X won’t support him, because that’s illegal” and “it’s unconstitutional for the federal government to do X, so they won’t.” I think these usually are correct, but over the last four years we have seen rapid deterioration of our ability to: agree on an objective reality, have an executive branch which abides by the law absent immediate and tangible enforcement mechanisms (remember when congressional subpoenas were at least often answered? now they’re ~always ignored AFAICT), have common knowledge that the law is the Law and if you break it you will be punished (obviously, rich&powerful would get more leeway in this calculation), etc.
I think many of these things have degraded and am no longer sure that anything would really stop red states from ignoring the popular results and sending their own set of electors. It’s already being discussed, and red officials have admitted they are discussing it without immediately walking it back / distancing themselves from the prospect. Maybe the Supreme Court would be enough to stop that, if they so chose. (Would they? Aren’t states technically allowed to choose electors however they please?)
I’m not very satisfied by answers like “X won’t support him, because that’s illegal” and “it’s unconstitutional for the federal government to do X, so they won’t.” I think these usually are correct, but over the last four years we have seen rapid deterioration of our ability to: agree on an objective reality, have an executive branch which abides by the law absent immediate and tangible enforcement mechanisms (remember when congressional subpoenas were at least often answered? now they’re ~always ignored AFAICT), have common knowledge that the law is the Law and if you break it you will be punished (obviously, rich&powerful would get more leeway in this calculation), etc.
I think many of these things have degraded and am no longer sure that anything would really stop red states from ignoring the popular results and sending their own set of electors. It’s already being discussed, and red officials have admitted they are discussing it without immediately walking it back / distancing themselves from the prospect. Maybe the Supreme Court would be enough to stop that, if they so chose. (Would they? Aren’t states technically allowed to choose electors however they please?)