Texas electors helped officially send Donald Trump to the White House Monday.
The 38 people in Texas who officially get to pick the next president were also met with hundreds of protesters at the Texas Capitol, though, who were hoping to convince them to vote for someone other than Trump.
Protesters started gathering at the Capitol as early as the night before.
“I’m here hoping to persuade the Texas electors to choose anyone but Trump,” said Eva Foster, a community college teacher who traveled from Houston early Monday morning.
Foster says convincing electors was a long shot, but she felt like she had to do something.
“I’m really scared for our country,” she said. “My students are undocumented. They are African-American. They are sometimes coming out of situations of poverty. They are students who are Muslim. They are students who have been targeted by the remarks of this president and I am scared for them.”
Lisa Rogers and Megan Seaholm also went to the capitol to plead with electors. They said they’ve seen a lot of presidents who they don’t agree with come and go, but they say this feels different.
“I was very unnerved after 1980, but that’s nothing,” Seaholm said.
“In 1972, I watched the Watergate hearing from inside this office where I worked,” Rogers said while pointing at the Capitol building. “I watched all the hearings and that was pretty freakin’ freaky, but nothing like this.”
There were also protesters who haven’t seen a lot of presidents come and go, yet.
Mikey Castro, who is 11 years old, traveled with his family from Dallas to protest at the capitol ahead of the Electoral College vote.
“I am hoping that even there is a very slim chance that anyone but Trump will become president,” he said.
Eventually, though, the chair of Texas electors called the vote and electors cast secret ballots.
In the end, Donald Trump got 36 votes, Texas Congressman Ron Paul received one vote and Ohio Governor received John Kasich one vote.
Even though there were two “faithless electors” in Texas, the 36 votes Trump received were enough to push him past the 270 electoral votes he needed to officially win the presidency. Inauguration Day is Jan. 20.
