After losing Georgia by around 12,000 votes in 2020, Donald Trump reached out to two key figures in the state’s elections — the governor and the secretary of state — seeking assistance to overturn the outcome.

He implored Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, to “find 11,780 votes,” but Raffensperger stood firm against his request. Subsequently, he appealed to Gov. Brian Kemp, also a Republican, to conduct an audit and convene the state legislature to reassess the electoral votes. Kemp similarly declined to assist.

With a tightly contested election approaching on Nov. 5, Trump claimed in September, without evidence, that Democrats were “cheating,” setting the stage for potential challenges to the electoral results if he faces another loss. During a debate in June, Trump hesitated to confirm if he would accept the election outcome, eventually stating he would do so only “if it’s a fair and legal and good election.”

However, it appears unlikely that state officials will assist in preventing electoral votes from going to Vice President Kamala Harris. Democrats have gained influence in essential battleground states, and the Republican leaders in states where Harris might win have shown no intention to flip the election results. Several have explicitly stated their refusal to do so.

Representatives of the Republican governors from New Hampshire, Vermont, and Virginia — all states currently favoring Harris in polling — conveyed to YSL News their commitment to certify the results regardless of who wins. Senior election officials in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, and North Carolina also affirmed they would not be influenced to change the outcomes.

Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, a moderate Republican who has often criticized Trump yet plans to vote for him, stated through his spokesperson, Brandon Pratt, that the election was certified without complications in 2020.

“Governor Sununu shares Granite Staters’ faith in our elections and the exceptional efforts by local election officials and anticipates this year to be no different,” Pratt remarked.

Under federal law, governors must prepare certificates of ascertainment, which kick off the process for the Electoral College to cast votes for president and vice president. In each state, secretaries of state or appropriate officials collect the election results from local and county levels to declare the winner.

State officials have shown resilience against pressures to alter election results. Republicans such as Raffensperger and Kemp did not give in to Trump’s requests in 2020, and any future attempts could likely face judicial challenges.

“Anyone involved in election administration has shown they will not yield to threats or intimidation,” said Al Schmidt, Pennsylvania Secretary of State and Republican. Schmidt successfully resisted pressure to meddle in the 2020 election during his time as a local official in Philadelphia. He was appointed to his current role by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro.

“Those engaged in elections approach their duties with professionalism, and no form of coercion will compromise that,” Schmidt asserted.

The Republican National Committee addressed YSL News’s inquiries regarding the Trump campaign, stating, “President Trump’s initiative for election integrity is focused on ensuring every legal vote is counted, reducing threats to the electoral process, and securing the election,” said Claire Zunk, the party’s spokesperson for election integrity.

Why governors are unlikely to help Trump overturn an election

Democrats currently hold the gubernatorial positions in five of the seven crucial battleground states: Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Georgia’s governor is Kemp, while Joe Lombardo, a Republican, has governed Nevada since 2023.

Lombardo, a seasoned law enforcement officer and former Clark County sheriff — where Las Vegas is located — received Trump’s endorsement for governor, and he endorsed Trump for president earlier this year. Nonetheless, Lombardo stood alongside Democratic Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar to sign a law protecting election workers.

“I haven’t seen any indication from Governor Lombardo that he would dispute the results certified by the secretary,” stated Jonathan Diaz, the voting advocacy director for Campaign Legal Center. “Trump might still attempt it, though.” Lombardo’s office has not responded to repeated requests for comment.

There are four other Republican governors who could play a role in issuing certificates of ascertainment to allocate Electoral College votes to Harris — those from Nebraska, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Virginia — but none have indicated any willingness to challenge the results.

There is a tendency to influence the results of elections.

Virginia’s Governor Glenn Youngkin has indicated that Trump might receive support in his state, even though polls show Harris leading by an average of 7 points, as reported by FiveThirtyEight. Youngkin has also strongly advocated for maintaining election integrity. However, his office confirmed that he would uphold and certify the election results in Virginia.

“Governor Youngkin will carry out his duty to sign the certificate of ascertainment as required by federal law,” Youngkin’s press secretary, Christian Martinez, stated in an announcement to YSL News.

Amanda Wheeler, representative for Vermont Governor Phil Scott, affirmed that he is fully committed to certifying the election results, regardless of who wins in Vermont. This aligns with his previous denunciations of election tampering and politically charged violence.

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen’s office did not respond to repeated inquiries, but he is tasked with confirming the electoral votes for the state’s Democratic-leaning Second Congressional District. He previously supported a change to the state’s system to prevent the separate awarding of that electoral vote, but the proposal failed last month. Any changes would not apply to the 2024 election unless enacted before November 5.

“I can’t envision that officials in New Hampshire and Nebraska will neglect their responsibilities even if they aren’t pleased with the results,” noted David Becker, founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, a nonpartisan organization that collaborates with election officials to enhance security. “The same goes for Virginia.”

How secretaries of state will prevent election interference

The lead election officials in crucial states like Arizona, Michigan, and Nevada are Democratic elected officials. In Wisconsin, the head of the election office, Meagan Wolfe, is a nonpartisan appointee who faced impeachment demands from Republicans, largely based on unfounded claims regarding the 2020 election. The Republican secretaries of state in Pennsylvania and Georgia, Schmidt and Raffensperger, also faced challenges during the 2020 election.

“Over the past four years, there have been numerous political pressures aimed at influencing me, and I have remained steadfast against all of them,” Wolfe told YSL News. She emphasized that her dedication is to recognize political influence for what it is and to execute her duties without bias.

Raffensperger expressed to YSL News that he anticipates pressure from political factions on both sides. He stated, “I think I have demonstrated my commitment to standing my ground. I will adhere to the law, the Constitution, and my duties.”

A grand jury in Georgia has indicted Trump and over a dozen others for their actions aimed at overturning the state’s 2020 election results, with Trump’s call to Raffensperger being a significant element of the indictment.

Karen Brinson Bell, the nonpartisan executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, remarked that if someone were to call her asking to find missing votes, she would respond, “We have counted the ballots. There are no additional votes to uncover.”

Once the Board of Elections approves the results, the Democratic Secretary of State Elaine Marshall verifies them to the governor before convening the Electoral College. “If I received a call about changing electors, I would refuse. There is no authority for that, and it simply won’t happen on my watch,” she asserted.

In New Hampshire, Republican Secretary of State David Scanlan traditionally writes a letter to the five-member executive council to certify the presidential election, according to Cinde Warmington, the only Democrat on that council. She expressed confidence that the council will fulfill its responsibilities.

Susan Beals, the chief election official in Virginia, stated that the certification process is a “ministerial duty,” meaning officials cannot decline it for arbitrary reasons. The Virginia State Board of Elections, composed of three Republicans and two Democrats, confirmed their commitment to certifying the results of the general election scheduled for November 2024.

Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen, also a Republican, declined to participate in an interview for this story, and his office provided no comments.

The critical roles of governors and secretaries of state

Generally, secretaries of state compile election results from local or county levels and aggregate the totals before validating the winner of the presidential election and submitting the results to the governor. In some states, this function may be designated to someone with a different title.

Governors are responsible for reporting the election outcomes, detailing the vote counts each presidential candidate received. These reports are known as certificates of ascertainment, a requirement set by the 2022 federal law, the Electoral Count Reform Act.

The certificates also include the names of individuals who will serve as the state’s representatives in the Electoral College. These names are submitted by the political party whose candidate emerged victorious. The Electoral College is scheduled to cast its votes on December 17, and the resulting votes and certificates will be forwarded to Congress for counting on January 6.

If this procedure fails to be completed—a scenario that has never occurred—the Electoral College votes would not reach Congress. Consequently, the state’s electoral votes would be excluded from the total required to win, reducing the existing count of 538. This means a presidential candidate could win with a smaller majority than the usual 270 electoral votes.

For instance, if a state with 10 electoral votes didn’t send in its certificates, those votes would simply not count. In this case, a candidate would only need to secure 265 electoral votes to win the presidency, rather than the standard 270.

The 2020 playbook won’t work

Given that governors and secretaries of state are expected to resist attempts that would alter an election result, coupled with a Supreme Court ruling restricting state legislatures’ authority in federal elections and an elevated level of public awareness, former President Trump’s methods from 2020 for contesting an election have significantly diminished.

“The concern is not about whether pressure will be applied to county and state officials,” Becker remarked. “In nearly all the states that [Kamala] Harris wins, if Trump does lose, I consider that a near certainty.”

Rex Van Middlesworth, a fellow at the Harvard Advanced Leadership Institute and an expert on the Electoral Count Reform Act, voiced concerns that local clerks may attempt to delay certification. However, he believes that won’t prove successful.

“State governments, campaigns, and pro-democracy groups are aware of potential issues, and I believe they will be ready,” he asserted.