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Nevada casts its 6 electoral votes for Biden, here’s why Trump supporters say GOP electors gave them to POTUS

On Monday, Nevada’s Democratic presidential electors cast their six votes for President-elect Joe Biden during a virtual meeting. Biden defeated Trump by 33,596 votes, or 2.4 percentage points, in Nevada

On Monday, December 14, electors from across the country gathered in state capitols to officially vote for Democrat leader Joe Biden as the next president of the United States. The formal vote should finally put an end to President Donald Trump's attempt to overturn his election loss. The New York Times noted, “electors in battleground states President Trump had contested -- Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Arizona -- voted with no surprises or defections.”

Even though the meeting of the Electoral College is an important moment in American democracy, it is rarely one that becomes a major political event. That has not been the case with the 2020 Presidential Election. Trump has led a so far baseless campaign claiming voter fraud in an attempt to delegitimize the results of the election. And that campaign seems to be continuing from Trump supporters even though the reality of the Electoral College process only stands contrary to these claims. 

CNN reported on Monday that Nevada’s Democratic presidential electors cast their six votes for President-elect Joe Biden during a virtual meeting. Biden had defeated Trump by 33,596 votes, or 2.4 percentage points, in Nevada. The ceremony, which took place over Zoom due to the coronavirus pandemic, took less than 20 minutes and finished without any surprises, the Associated Press reported.

From what news reports mention, there are no GOP electors from Nevada. Yet, GOP members from the state organized an event where they cast their votes for Donald Trump. The Official Twitter account for the Nevada GOP shared a photo of the event, writing, "Our brave electors standing up for what is right and casting their electoral votes for @realDonaldTrump. We believe in fair elections and will continue the fight against voter fraud in the Silver State!"

Yet, Twitter accounts of Trump supporters seem to be claiming otherwise. Antonio Sabàto Jr., an Italian-American former underwear model, actor, and politician who ran unsuccessfully as the Republican candidate for U.S. Congress against incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Julia Brownley for California's 26th district in the 2018 elections tweeted a claim stating that the Nevada GOP electors voted in favor of Trump. Sabàto tweeted, “BREAKING: Nevada GOP electors cast ballot for Donald J Trump declaring him winner of 6 Electoral votes in NV.”

Of course, he was soon corrected by many, including Raw Story reporter Matthew Chapman, who wrote, “There are no Nevada GOP electors. There are people who ran to be electors for Nevada on the GOP ticket, and lost. They don't have ballots to cast.”

Sabàto wasn’t the only one. Right Side Broadcasting Network, also known as Right Side Broadcasting, a conservative American news and opinion media company founded by Joe Seales, which claims to be the “#1 source for @realDonaldTrump rallies and events,” also spread disinformation. The Twitter account of the organization wrote, “BREAKING: Nevada GOP electors cast ballot for Donald J Trump declaring him winner of 6 Electoral votes in NV,” adding, “Just to confirm- there were also be a separate 6 votes from NV cast for Biden. Brush up on your history! Find out what happens next.”

Similar disinformation was shared by other Trump supporters, some of whom have a substantial Twitter following. “BREAKING: Nevada GOP electors just voted for @realDonaldTrump!!! This is the first domino. Wisdom and Courage,” tweeted an account with more than 33,000 followers. Another Twitter user with more than 88,000 followers wrote, “Breaking: Nevada GOP Electors cast votes for @realDonaldTrump.” A Twitter user with more than 500,000 followers tweeted, “BREAKING: Nevada GOP electors cast ballot for Donald J Trump declaring him winner of 6 Electoral votes in NV.” These are but a few examples of many more tweeting this "news".

Author Wajahat Ali, who is also a contributing opinion writer at the New York Times, said on Twitter: “Nevada GOP is a reflection of the right-wing Trump cult. Openly and proudly going against the will of the majority. This is the present and future of the GOP: an anti-democratic, counter-majoritarian movement. They will become more radical and extreme.”

Nevada’s slow vote-counting pace during the polls catapulted it into the national spotlight. The Nevada contest was challenged in several lawsuits, which alleged irregularities in the vote-counting process in Democrat-leaning Clark County. Despite the fact that the lawsuits have all been unsuccessful in proving any alleged irregularities, the Associated Press reported that Republican activists from Carson City to Las Vegas have decried the results in “Stop the Steal” demonstrations.