Four Washington state members of the Electoral College did not vote for Hillary Clinton after having promised to do so, and a judge on Wednesday ruled that Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman is allowed to levy a $1,000 fine on each elector in accordance with state law. Being a faithless elector is not a criminal offense in Washington, but since the 1970s faithless electors can be fined.
Three of the electors voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell, while one voted for a Native American leader. All four previously signed a pledge to vote for Clinton if she won Washington's Electoral College votes, which she did with 57 percent of the popular vote. The electors became faithless in a futile effort to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president.
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