RI, Mass. electors set to vote Monday

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — Members of the Electoral College all across the United States will cast their votes Monday for president on behalf of their constituents.

Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea is scheduled to convene Rhode Island's Electoral College at noon.

The state's four electors are Grace Diaz, Frank Montanaro, Clay Pell, and Susan Weiner. All four Democrats are expected to cast their votes for Hillary Clinton.

Massachusetts' 11 electors are also expected to vote for Clinton.

Some states don't have any laws preventing electors from voting against the will of their constituents, so some activists across the country are urging Republican electors to "vote their conscience" in an effort to try to keep President-Elect Donald Trump out of the White House.

The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. If Donald Trump secures votes from at least 270 electors Monday, his presidential election win will be certified.

Election results show Trump obtained 306 Electoral College votes, which means 37 electors would have to defect for Trump opponents to try to block his presidency. Many political experts believe the chances of that happening are highly unlikely.

"Something like that could cause a political or even a constitutional crisis," said NBC 10 political analyst Wendy Schiller of Brown University.

Maine and Nebraska are the only two states in the country that choose electors proportionally to their popular vote results.