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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2016
Trump wins Electoral College, Oregon objects
By CLAIRE
WITHYCOMBE
Capital Bureau
SALEM — Oregon’s
seven Electoral College mem-
bers cast their votes Monday
morning at the Oregon State
Capitol for Democrat Hillary
Clinton.
Frank J. Dixon, an elec-
tor and chairman of the Dem-
ocratic Party of Oregon, said
during Monday’s vote on
the Oregon Senate floor that
he spoke for all the electors
when he voiced objection to
the electoral process.
“I just want to, on behalf
of the entire elector group
here today, object to this pro-
cess to preserve the record to
allow further inquiry of the
electoral process given the
interference by the Russian
government in our election
process,” Dixon said.
Amid cheering from the
gallery, Atkins called public
attendees to order.
Dixon then added:
“And to preserve for the
record our objection, this
process does not honor the
principle of one person, one
vote.”
Anna Reed/Statesman-Journal
Electoral college members and Oregon Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins, third from front left, stand for a photo at the state
Capitol in Salem Monday. All seven of Oregon’s presidential electoral votes went to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
The Constitution
Under the U.S. Constitu-
tion, the winner of the presi-
dential election is the candi-
date who wins the majority
of electoral votes, not the
winner of the popular vote.
Each state has a number of
electors that corresponds to
the number of members in
its Congressional delega-
tion, and it is those electors
who are chosen by the pop-
ular vote.
Generally, the winner of
the popular vote in any state
is awarded all of the state’s
electors. All of Oregon’s
seven votes went to Clinton.
Groups gathered in state
capitols across the coun-
try Monday to urge Republi-
can Party electors to not cast
votes for Donald J. Trump,
who finished with 304 votes
to Clinton’s 227, but lost the
popular vote Nov. 8 by about
2 million votes. That effort
Photos by Claire Withycombe/EO Media Group
LEFT: Protesters rallied at the Oregon State Capitol against the casting of electoral votes Monday for Donald Trump,
the winner of the majority of electoral votes nationwide on Nov. 8. Oregon’s seven electoral votes were cast for Hillary
Clinton, who won the popular vote in Oregon. Leon Coleman, 86, of Beaverton, one of the state’s electors, holds up his
oath of office certificate after Monday’s electoral college vote in the Oregon Capitol.
was largely unsuccessful,
with only two Texas electors
bolting Trump. Four electors
in Washington and four in the
District of Columbia pledged
to Clinton voted instead for
other candidates.
Democrats and others on
the left have since criticized
the Electoral College sys-
tem, saying it undermines the
principle of one vote for each
individual and that the sys-
tem, laid out by the U.S. Con-
stitution, is antiquated.
‘Historic’
In remarks before votes
were cast, Oregon Secretary of
State Jeanne Atkins said this
year’s election was “historic”
and that the election process
came under “unprecedented
challenge and criticism.”
“This has continued into
the post-election period,”
Atkins said. “The nation has
been roiled by a significantly
greater debate than usual over
the appropriateness of the
Electoral College process in
our modern age and over the
obligations of those chosen as
electors.”
Atkins voiced confidence
in the state’s voting system
and Oregon’s election results.
Dixon said after the cer-
emony that he and the party
intended to “get their foot
in the door” to preserve the
possibility of further inquiry
when it came to possible Rus-
sian interference in the elec-
tion, and to take a closer look
at “legal issues involved” in
the 14th Amendment’s Equal
Protection clause.
“I’m not a Constitu-
tional scholar,” Dixon said.
“I don’t know what the out-
come would be of any legal
challenge, but it’s simply, if
we can preserve the record
rather than remaining silent,
and just say, state our objec-
tion, it may be a way to allow
further inquiry … it’s nothing
more than that at this stage.”
Despite Trump’s likely
victory and the Democratic
Party of Oregon’s objections,
Dixon said that he hoped that
he and his fellow electors
were “preserving democracy”
by participating in the Elec-
toral College process.
“… We’re, hopefully, pre-
serving democracy by fol-
lowing in the requirements
of the Constitution, what we
pledged to do,” Dixon said. “I
think there’s a purpose in and
of itself, to participate.”
Protesters stood outside
the Oregon Capitol before the
ceremony holding signs and
singing songs.
Martha Perkins, who came
up to Salem for the protest
from Corvallis, said she was
aware that Oregon’s elec-
tors pledged to vote for Hil-
lary Clinton, but that she was
there at the Capitol as an act
of “national solidarity.”
Warrenton: ‘It’s kind of heartbreaking’ Raid: More charges
could be coming as
investigation goes on
Continued from Page 1A
Mike Moha, financial man-
ager for Warrenton-Ham-
mond School District, esti-
mated at least $15,000 was
gathered between toys and cash
donations.
Donations streamed in
from individuals, businesses,
churches, nonprofits, the U.S.
Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys
for Tots program and others.
One notable was Lily Duncan,
a 10-year-old from a local U.S.
Coast Guard family who held a
hot chocolate and cookie stand
fundraiser for Warrenton’s toy
drive instead of her birthday
party.
Morrow said Astoria Wish-
ing Tree’s Coordinator Bar-
bara Roberts taught her how to
manage such a toy drive, while
donating two pallets of books.
Of the 120 families seek-
ing gifts for Christmas, Morrow
said 80 were taken. With piles
of leftover donated toys at War-
renton Grade School and more
than $3,500 in cash donations,
Morrow said the group will
shop for the rest. Morrow said
the leftover toys will be avail-
able for teachers needing class-
room prizes, and for future toy
drives.
Christmas of necessity
Jenna Allen, a teacher at the
grade school, was among the
donors surprised by some fami-
lies asking for toiletries, food or
other basic living needs.
“It’s kind of heartbreak-
ing when that’s their Christmas
list,” she said. “There’s no toys,
just necessities.”
Allen’s class adopted a fam-
ily for the toy drive. Her own
family adopted a couple more.
Staci Miethe, manager of
the Seaside Outlet Center and
coach of the Warrenton High
School softball team, brought
several of her players to wrap
presents. Miethe has been
adopting families for Christmas
for at least 15 years.
“In recent years, more peo-
ple have been willing to step up
and ask for help,” Miethe said.
The Seaside Outlet Cen-
Continued from Page 1A
Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
Debbie Morrow, head of nonprofit Warrenton-Hammond Healthy Kids Inc., said the left-
over gift donations will be used by teachers as classroom prizes and for future toy drives.
‘We had one
family ask us
not to buy
them clothes,
because they
were living in
a car.’
Staci Miethe
manager of the Seaside Outlet
Center and coach of the
Warrenton High School
softball team
ter also adopts families. Miethe
said some families ask for con-
sumables such as gift cards
instead of objects. “We had one
family ask us not to buy them
clothes, because they were liv-
ing in a car.”
Asked why she’s been adopt-
ing families for so long, Miethe
said she wants to help kids hold
onto the magical aspects of
Christmas through the kindness
of others. “My hope is that they
believe a little longer.”
T HE D AILY A STORIAN
WILL BE
CLOSED
MONDAY
DECEMBER 26 TH
They also found a num-
ber of items reported stolen in
local thefts and burglaries. The
items have been returned to
their owners or are in the pro-
cess of being returned, accord-
ing to the Sheriff’s Office.
In a statement Monday, the
Sheriff’s Office announced
it had arrested five people in
connection with the search
warrants: Conrad “Gus” Wei-
rup, 37, for second-degree
robbery, third-degree assault,
unlawful use of a weapon, and
for frequenting a place where
drugs are used or sold; Cla-
rissa Moore, 28, on a post-
prison violation warrant and
for frequenting a place where
drugs are used or sold; Daniel
Greenfield, 28, for second-de-
gree robbery, third-degree
assault and for frequenting a
place where drugs are used
or sold; Dakota Weirup, 29,
for possession of a controlled
substance and for frequenting
a place where drugs are used
or sold; and Duane “DJ” Jer-
emiah Scovill, 42, for sec-
ond-degree robbery, third-de-
gree assault, coercion and
on a first-degree theft arrest
warrant.
More charges could be
added as the investigation
continues.
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