FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Currently there is a petition circulating with 1.6 million signatures on it, urging members of the Electoral College not to vote the way their states voted.

The hope of the petition is that the Electoral College members will ignore how their states voted and instead cast their ballots to select Secretary Hillary Clinton as America’s next President. However, WOWO News is asking the question, can members of the Electoral College actually do that?

Andy Downs with the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics says yes, in some states they can.

“We have to remember … the college is there to work as a bit of a safety valve and now we are seeing, again, something that has not happened that often,” Downs said. “But it happened in 2000 and it happened again this year. The popular vote winner is not the person who won the college and I believe its in 29 states, the state law actually says that the electors from that state must do what the popular vote says and the other 21 states, theoretically, those electors can choose to do whatever they wish.”

However, Downs went on to tell WOWO News, the odds of that happening are very unlikely.

“It’s possible those states with the electors where they are free to do what they wish, could decide to vote for someone else… but you have to remember, these are heavy partisans who actually were elected, they are not likely to go wow, I really don’t certainly like my party, I am going to put the other person in office, that is highly unlikely.”