W.Va. Electors Cast 5 Votes for Trump

There were no surprises today as five West Virginia electors cast the state’s official votes for the next president and vice president of the United States. 

Secretary of State Natalie Tennant read the five official electoral college votes cast at the Capitol Monday by the state’s members of the electoral college during a ceremony in the House of Delegates chamber. 

Credit Perry Bennett / West Virginia Legislative Photography

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West Virginia Legislative Photography

Former Senate President Bill Cole was one of those five electors, all of whom voted for Trump and Pence.

Others were Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Secretary of State-elect Mac Warner, candidate for Treasurer Ann Urling and Ron Foster, whose wife and son are members of the House of Delegates.

Across the country, electors have been pressured to change their votes to prevent a Trump presidency. Cole said he received thousands of letters calling on him to change his vote.

“The ones that I opened were the ones that were addressed from West Virginia and out of 2-3,000 letters I probably got 10,” Cole said. “Most of them came from California, New York, Florida.”

Other electors also commented that they had received letters and phone calls asking them to change their votes.

A handful of protestors attended the electoral vote in Charleston Monday, holding signs and wearing t-shirts showing their distaste with President-elect Trump.