Two of Idaho’s four Republican presidential electors will be replaced prior to Monday’s vote of the Electoral College because they are constitutionally barred as federal employees from serving as electors.
The process for replacing them is set forth in state law and the substitutions will not change the outcome in favor of Donald Trump.
Layne Bangerter of Melba, who chaired Trump’s Idaho state campaign, works for Sen. Mike Crapo. Melinda Smyser of Parma, formerly a state senator and Canyon County GOP chair, works for Sen. Jim Risch. Article II of the Constitution says no person “holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector.”
Rod Beck of Boise, who chaired Trump’s primary campaign, will replace Bangerter. Smyser’s husband, Skip, a lobbyist and former legislator, will take her place, Bangerter said Thursday. Per state law, their fellow electors, Caleb Lakey of Kuna and Jennifer Locke of Coeur d’Alene, will vote on their replacements Monday. They meet at noon in the governor’s Capitol office.
Bangerter called the change “strictly a formality.”
The state notified the electors of a possible conflict “a couple of weeks ago” when it received and reviewed official Electoral College guidelines, said Secretary of State Lawerence Denney.
“We said you need to check this out and see what you think. We’ll leave it up to you,” Denney said. He said there “could probably be a good case made” that the prohibition curtailed First Amendment rights of federal employees.
“I could argue either way, but I’m not sure that this is an issue that I would go to court with,” he said.
Neither Bangerter nor Smyser mentioned the issue Tuesday when the Statesman asked themfor their reaction to intelligence reports of Russian interference with the election.
Via the Idaho Statesman