1. "They already picked the electors" - no, in some states, parties can pre-select people they want to have the honor IF they win on Election Day, after the vote is certified and there is no objection in the State House, months in advance. But that doesn't mean shit until the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December - the 14th this year.
The Dems can choose Lestor Makhno, Lashonda Tawanda, and Butterfly Lunarwoman IF Biden wins Pennsylvania to cast the electoral college votes; the Republicans Tom, Dick, and Harry. They can do this months in advance of the election. But until the 14th of December or at a point after Election day, it doesn't mean shit until the State House chooses a winner via the Elector Slate.
2. States have to pick the popular vote winner. No, the state house can send any slate of electors they want. Even IF they have a state constitution requiring such, as Article II of the US Constitution trumps that. All it would take is declare the vote spoilt, and the time limited, and even that is just an optional step to justify their absolute unchecked power to do so. State Houses have unchecked absolute power over Electors as the Founders believed that was the body of government closest to the people.
2b. Trivia - you don't even have a US Constitutional right to vote for State Governor. And it used to be Senators were chosen by the House, too (we should go back to that as it guarantees Federalism - the Senators ultimately have to please the State as a whole, rather than raising money from lobbyists to convince the public. A Senator who decides to please a lobbyist against the self-interest of the State would be tossed - a historical example would be a Senator who owes favors to Banks, voting for federal laws that make Farm loans tougher or more stringent though he's from a rural state).
If a lot of prominent perps in the states become implicated in overt and provable fraud, they may just nominate electors for Trump just to take the heat off.
In Florida with Bush-Gore, the SCOTUS threat was to turn the vote over to the electors. Gore knew he would be toast with the electors to the extent he conceded. There was a lot of post play illustration of election fraud there, too.
A lot of "Factcheckers" are claiming a decision this Summer requires Electors to be subject to popular vote; that's wrong and deliberately dishonest. The only binding part is the legality of punishment for unfaithful electors.
The Dems can choose Lestor Makhno, Lashonda Tawanda, and Butterfly Lunarwoman IF Biden wins Pennsylvania to cast the electoral college votes; the Republicans Tom, Dick, and Harry. They can do this months in advance of the election. But until the 14th of December or at a point after Election day, it doesn't mean shit until the State House chooses a winner via the Elector Slate.
2. States have to pick the popular vote winner. No, the state house can send any slate of electors they want. Even IF they have a state constitution requiring such, as Article II of the US Constitution trumps that. All it would take is declare the vote spoilt, and the time limited, and even that is just an optional step to justify their absolute unchecked power to do so. State Houses have unchecked absolute power over Electors as the Founders believed that was the body of government closest to the people.
2b. Trivia - you don't even have a US Constitutional right to vote for State Governor. And it used to be Senators were chosen by the House, too (we should go back to that as it guarantees Federalism - the Senators ultimately have to please the State as a whole, rather than raising money from lobbyists to convince the public. A Senator who decides to please a lobbyist against the self-interest of the State would be tossed - a historical example would be a Senator who owes favors to Banks, voting for federal laws that make Farm loans tougher or more stringent though he's from a rural state).