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Electoral College Delegates Implored Not To Vote For Trump

While most people believe the election of Donald Trump is a done deal, it's up to the Electoral College to actually choose the next president. Florida's 29 electors will cast their ballot Monday afternoon in Tallahassee.

One of the electors is Nick DiCeglie, chairman of the Pinellas County GOP. He's gotten about 4,000 emails - and in one day was mailed 100 letters - from an organized campaign, imploring him to vote for someone besides Donald Trump.  Please vote for Hillary Clinton, John Kasich - even John McCain, they asked - or even  Mike Pence, the vice president-elect.

Nick DiCeglie's mailbox
Credit Twitter
Nick DiCeglie's mailbox

DiCeglie said he's not changing his mind..

"I take this responsibility very seriously," he said. "I take representing the will of the voters of Florida very seriously. And I'm going to vote for Donald Trump."

DiCeglie says the vast majority of Florida's 29 electors are loyal Republicans who will select Trump. But nationwide, protestors are trying to flip 37 ballots, which would get Trump below the 270 mark needed to clinch the nomination.

That, he says, is very unlikely to happen.

"These are very loyal Republicans, and I do not foresee here in the state of Florida anyone going against Donald Trump," DiCeglie said. "Of course, we've all heard that one elector in Texas, he's saying he's not going to vote for Trump, but they need 37 for this to actually mean anything, and I take it that these other states also select their electors very carefully as well. So I don't think they're going to get to 37."

Florida's Electoral College will convene at 2 p.m. Monday at the state capitol. They'll likely be greeted by part of a national wave of protests organized by progressive and liberal groups.

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Nick DiCeglie's mailbox
Twitter /
Nick DiCeglie's mailbox

Steve Newborn is WUSF's assistant news director as well as a reporter and producer at WUSF covering environmental issues and politics in the Tampa Bay area.