ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- We're one step closer to making President-elect Donald Trump official. Today electors gathered in every state capital including Tallahassee. About 200 anti-Trump demonstrators tried everything they could up until the last minute to try to lock him out of the White House, though.
The protesters were defiant until the very end and they filed into our state's capital with signs in hand hoping to get the electors to rethink their votes. One protestor said, "We literally ourselves decided we've got to fight this to the last 538 votes and here we are." Another protester added, "I think all these people are angry and concerned that we've selected the wrong person to lead our country."
Nick DiCeglie, the Pinellas County GOP chair, is one of the 29 electoral college voters in Florida. Despite stacks of letters asking, begging and even threatening him not to cast his vote for Trump he refused to change his mind. DiCeglie said, "They're delivering my mail in baskets. Well over four thousand emails, phone calls -- the list goes on and on and on so I will be very relieved when this is finally all over."
Joe Gruters, also a Florida elector and he is co-chairman of Donald Trump's Florida Campaign, says he's received about 80,000 emails encouraging him to vote differently, too. He says, "What most people don't understand about electors is that the party picks them so for the 29 guys and gals - they're hard-core Republican partisans."
Eighty electors who were all Democrats except for one Republican, requested an intelligence briefing before they voted. They wanted to know the latest about Russian interference in the election. Chris Suprun is that one Republican elector from Texas. He says, "I think this is the first time in America's history where we have someone who is clearly unfit for office."
All of Florida's 29 electors cast their votes for Trump today. Since the electoral college system was started back in 1787 there have been eight instances where an elector didn't vote for the person they were supposed to.
After today's electoral vote, a certificate is sent to Congress and the National Archives. Then on Jan.6, Congress will tally up all the numbers and announce the winner. The presidential inauguration is three weeks later on Jan. 20.
