Hawaii 'faithless elector' breaks law to cast dissenting vote

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii's four electors cast their votes for president Monday at the state Capitol building, and one broke the law.

Elector David Mulinix cast his vote for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders rather than Hillary Clinton, who won the presidential election in Hawaii.

Hawaii law requires electors to vote for the winner of the popular vote in the presidential election.

"We shouldn't have electors. The votes of the people should be making the decision. The Electoral College is outdated," Mulinix said. "Maybe it worked in 1789 when almost nobody could read or write. Maybe it made sense then -- but we are way past that."

The state Elections Office said Mulinix's vote will still count, and he won't face any punishment for his vote. That's because while Hawaii law dictates how electors should cast their votes, it doesn't say what will happen to them if they don't.

Fellow electors John Bickel, Marie Dolly Strazar and Janice Bond voted for Clinton.

Nationally, Donald Trump cruised to victory to win the Electoral College vote. Despite nationwide protests following Donald Trump's election, few so-called "faithless electors" actually switched their votes.

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