Why a Washington state elector says he won鈥檛 vote for Clinton
Robert Satiacum, a Washington state elector for the Democratic Party who supported Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) of Vermont for the Democratic nomination, says he won鈥檛 cast his state鈥檚 electoral college vote for Hillary Clinton if she wins the popular vote there.
Mr. Satiacum, a Puyallup Tribe member and one of the twelve electoral college members in Washington, a state which Mrs. Clinton is expected to win easily, that his conscience wouldn鈥檛 allow him to cast a vote for her, citing his lack of trust in her on tribal or environmental issues such as the Dakota Access Pipeline. He faces a $1,000 penalty, since Washington is one of 30 states that penalizes electors who don鈥檛 channel the results of the popular vote.
"She will not get my vote, period," in a phone interview, adding that he believed Mr. Sanders had done a better job reaching out to Native Americans. "She doesn't care about my land or my air or my fire or my water.鈥�
His unequivocal refusal, after a month of publicly expressed misgivings, draws attention to one of the many quirks inherent to the electoral system that weight some votes over others and creates a route for an elector's 鈥渃onscience vote鈥� 鈥� especially聽in a election year when questions of conscience are the order of the day. And his motives seem to point to the growing revivalist sentiment among Native Americans sparked by protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, which Satiacum has traveled to join.
鈥淗ere at the front lines of protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline, every movement is weighted with the indigenous history of the region,鈥� wrote 海角大神鈥檚 Henry Gass on Nov. 1.
Talk to Native Americans here, no matter the tribe, and you will hear many of the same things. After generations of oppression and neglect, mired in systemic poverty and prevented from doing basic things like practicing their religion, the protesters here 鈥� who prefer to be called 鈥渨ater protectors鈥� 鈥� see their stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) as not just a battle against a specific project, but public signs of a reconnection with their collective traditions and religion.
It is this reconnection, they believe, that has sustained the protest for over seven months. And in turn, it could have broader ripple effects both on and off tribal lands. For one thing, the protests here may be turning Native Americans into a leading force in the domestic movement on climate change.
The Puyallup Tribe has donated over $460,000 to the Clinton campaign, making it one of Washington鈥檚 biggest contributors to her campaign, reports the Seattle Times, and Clinton visited the tribe鈥檚 reservation in March. Tribal leaders said they have urged Satiacum聽to remember the pledge he took as a state elector, to cast his vote for the winner of the state鈥檚 popular vote, though they add that they support his 鈥減ersonal convictions.鈥�
There鈥檝e only been 157 鈥渇aithless electors鈥� since the nation鈥檚 founding, with 71 of them changing at the last minute because the elected candidate died before they could cast their votes. None have altered the result of an election. The last case was in 2004, when a Democratic elector from Minnesota cast a vote for John Edwards instead of John Kerry, in what many believe was a mistake, . It鈥檚 very rare for an elector to cross party lines; the last case was 1972, when a Republican elector went for the Libertarian candidate.
Satiacum says he鈥檚 unsure what he鈥檒l do in place of voting for Clinton, and he has criticized Republican nominee Donald Trump. But he told the AP that some electors from other states had thanked him, adding that he hoped others would follow his lead.
"This is a time we all need to stand up and speak out," he said.
