Ive always had a favorable opinion of Mike Pence. I never would have guessed though that most of even our Republican Governors and legislatures would sell us down the river like they are doing, so everything is possible. I hate it, but I hate lies worse.
IF he is honest and brave, though, and simply unwilling to break long precedent in what would be perceived as a partisan way, perhaps he could not count ANY Elector votes not certified by the legislature of that State. None of them. Not the States Trump won and not the States Biden won and none of the Swing States.
There would both practical, legal and theoretical logic to this. The main power everywhere was intended by our Founding Fathers to reside with our assemblies, with our “parliaments”, our legislative bodies.
Giving the power to dictate the “results” of elections to, effectively, two people in each State—the Secretary of State and the Governor—OBVIOUSLY facilitates fraud. This has bern made obvious in the past two months. This is too much power.
Pence could in effect DEMAND that all the legislatures of all the States go on record, and if Biden is still on top, then Trump is most likely out of good options.
But obviously the hope is that the legislatures in States with obvious fraud will do the right thing.
This is to my mind a readonable compromise that legally should not ruffle as many feathers as more or less declaring Trump the winner. It is VASTLY more inclusive than allowing Executives full control, and it consults the very bodies which were INTENDED to be the arbiters.
That things are no longer done this way most likely stems from laziness and complacency, not law or principle.