Kansas and Missouri are two of 15 states in the country that don't have a law binding electors to vote for the candidate that won. That means electors like Clay Barker, executive director of the Kansas Republican Party, are targets for desperate voters.
"We're each getting about a hundred emails or so a day from individuals asking us to either vote for Hillary Clinton or to vote for someone else so the House of Representatives will pick the president," Barker said.
There are six electors in Kansas and 10 in Missouri. Each state gets one elector for every senator and representative.
Missouri elector Sally Miller says her experience across the state line has been similar.
Kansas selected its electors in June. Barker added that their votes are not about them because, "Essentially the person has pledged to vote for whoever the voters of Kansas picked."
Miller agrees, "Missouri went overwhelmingly for Trump. I think that is how the electors of the state should vote."
Some people are still holding out hope they can convince 37 electors who are pledged to vote for Trump not to do so. If they succeed, the House of Representatives would pick the next president.
Barker tells us, "I was picked partially because they knew I wouldn't change my mind, that I would stick to whoever the people of Kansas picked and that's what I'll do."
On Dec. 19, electors will gather at their respective state capitol to cast their ballots. Vice President Joe Biden, head of the U.S. Senate, will formally count the votes from every state in the capitol on Jan. 6.
There are calls to consider getting rid of the electoral college, especially since Hillary Clinton is leading in the popular vote right now. Miller thinks the idea is one worth looking at. Barker said, "I don't see it changing because it would take a constitutional amendment and enough states would be against it that I doubt it would pass."
Dia Wall can be reached at dia.wall@kshb.com.
