Advertisement Maine elector can't vote for Sanders, casts ballot for Clinton Democratic elector David Bright intended to vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A Maine elector who intended to vote for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was not able to fulfill his promise. Democratic elector David Bright said early Monday that he would vote for Sanders to acknowledge the efforts of the young supporters of Sanders, who beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in Maine's presidential caucuses. Originally Bright said he'd vote for Sanders only under the unlikely scenario in which Republican President-elect Donald Trump failed to get the necessary 270 votes. It appeared that with Bright's vote, Sanders would get one of Maine's four electoral votes. Bright cast his ballot for neither Clinton nor Trump, implying his support for Sanders. But his vote was declared improper and he was ordered to re-vote. Bright then cast his ballot for Clinton. She received three of Maine's electoral votes and Trump received one. "If my vote today could have helped Secretary Clinton win the presidency, I would have voted for her," Bright posted on his Facebook page. "But as the Electoral College meets all across this nation on this day, I see no likelihood of 38 Republican electors defecting from their party and casting their ballots for Secretary Clinton." In Maine, presidential electors are required to vote for the popular vote winner. But there's no penalty if an elector chooses to vote for a different candidate. "I cast my vote for Bernie Sanders not out of spite, or malice, or anger, or as an act of civil disobedience," Bright's Facebook post said. "I mean no disrespect to our nominee. I cast my vote to represent thousands of Democratic Maine voters -- many less than a third my age -- who came into Maine politics for the first time this year because of Bernie Sanders." MyNBC5.com is gathering more information on this developing story. This article will be updated as soon as more information is available.