Idaho’s four Republican electors cast their ballots for outgoing President Donald Trump on Monday. Joe Biden won the electoral college later that afternoon.
Former Congressman Raul Labrador, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, incoming Ada County Commissioner Rod Beck, and former state Sen. Melinda Smyser each voted for Trump during a brief meeting at the Idaho Capitol.
Labrador consistently supported Trump’s policy decisions during his recent stint as chairman of the Idaho Republican Party. McGeachin has been an ardent defender of the president. Rod Beck chaired Trump’s first Idaho presidential campaign; and Smyser cast an electoral college vote for Trump in the 2016 election.
Labrador mentioned that he “had the honor” of working both with Trump and outgoing vice president, Mike Pence, after casting his vote.
“Their election four years ago was great for this nation, led to the first time in a generation that our country did not start, or expand on a foreign conflict; and facilitated three great justices to the Supreme Court. And today, I am proud to cast my vote for both of these men.”
McGeachin recalled how she was first drawn in by Trump’s announcement that he’d run for president.
“He sold my heart, as well as millions of Americans across the country, on this dream that he was going to return America to the great country that it always has been and always will be,” she said.
None of the four wore face masks while casting their votes, though Smyser briefly had one on at times. McGeachin had a mask hanging from her neck.
Gov. Brad Little and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney both wore masks during the entirety of the proceedings, which were closed to the public due to the surge in Idaho’s coronavirus outbreak.
Idaho has no “faithless elector” law to stop a member of the electoral college from voting for a presidential candidate who did not win the state’s popular vote; state officials say this scenario hasn’t happened since Idaho’s admission to the union in 1890.
Follow James Dawson on Twitter @RadioDawson for more local news.
Copyright 2020 Boise State Public Radio
Member support is what makes local COVID-19 reporting possible. Support this coverage here.
