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Election

L.A. Protesters Hope to Change the Minds of Electoral Voters

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Around 200 women and allies gathered in Los Angeles Monday to convince electors with their message of "no inauguration without investigation."

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Protesters marched down from the touristy corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue Monday in Los Angeles, partly following the route of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, while chanting "He's not my president!"

The march was organized by a group called Women and Allies, which held events nationwide in cities including New York and Los Angeles. Marchers took their message from Hollywood Boulevard to Sunset Boulevard, where onlookers stopped to cheer.

People walked out of their office buildings onto the street and stopped their cars to honk and give thumbs up. Jen Richards, the Emmy-nominated actress from Her Story, crossed paths with the protest at one point. She was in the neighborhood and was crossing the street to go into a store.

Organizers of the L.A. rally spoke to The Advocate from outside the CNN building, where the rally stopped and several people delivered speeches about the need to convince electors to change their votes.

Members of the L.A. group said they think of their event as "pre-supporting" the Million Woman March that's taking place the day after the inauguration in Washington, D.C. There are marches planned across the country as well, for those who can't make it to Washington.

"What we're trying to make noise about is demanding accountability from the Electoral College before December 19," said Nicole Lopez, one of the organizers. "It is not their job to elect a demagogue. It is precisely their job to act as faithful electors and do their job, and to abstain or cast their vote."

But that's not to say that Lopez or the group necessarily supports Hillary Clinton."We're not just trying to get them to vote for Hillary; it's someone who's actually an appropriate candidate," Lopez said.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid announced Tuesday that he supports electors who are demanding an intelligence briefing on Russian cyberattacks that influenced the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Around a dozen electors, including one Republican, wrote an open letter requesting the briefing before they cast their votes December 19.

"This is not just a completely pro-Hillary movement. This is a pro-rights for everyone who wasn't heard in this election and was completely demolished and walked over and not given respect," said Lopez.

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Yezmin Villarreal

Yezmin Villarreal is the former news editor for The Advocate. Her work has also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Mic, LA Weekly, Out Magazine and The Fader.
Yezmin Villarreal is the former news editor for The Advocate. Her work has also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Mic, LA Weekly, Out Magazine and The Fader.