A Republican serving on the Electoral College announced over the weekend that he will resign and turn over his vote to an alternate member rather than vote for President-elect Trump when the Electoral College convenes on Dec. 19 to elect the next president.
Art Sisneros, a Republican member from Texas, made the announcement in a blog post after spending six months deciding his next move after running and becoming an elector, arguing that Trump is not “biblically qualified” to serve as president.
“I do not see how Donald Trump is biblically qualified to serve in the office of the Presidency. Of the hundreds of angry messages that I have received, not one has made a convincing case from scripture otherwise,” Sisneros wrote. “If Trump is not qualified and my role, both morally and historically, as an elected official is to vote my conscience, then I can not and will not vote for Donald Trump for President. I believe voting for Trump would bring dishonor to God.”
Sisneros added that Trump will become president regardless of his vote, therefore leading him to resign his post before the electors come together on Dec. 19 so the people “get their vote” for the president-elect.
“Since I can’t in good conscience vote for Donald Trump, and yet have sinfully made a pledge that I would, the best option I see at this time is to resign my position as an Elector,” Sisneros said. “This will allow the remaining body of Electors to fill my vacancy when they convene on Dec. 19 with someone that can vote for Trump. The people will get their vote … I will sleep well at night knowing I neither gave in to their demands nor caved to my convictions.”
Sisneros explained what it means to be “biblically qualified” to serve as president in a previous post by pointing to passages in the Bible suggesting that the candidate must be just and fear The Lord, among other reasons. He also argued that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was similarly unqualified to serve.
