Anti-Trump groups will hold Electoral College protests in all 50 states on Dec. 19

Hoping to stop Donald Trump from becoming president, a coalition of progressive groups are organizing protests in all 50 states on Monday, hoping to convince enough members of the Electoral College to reject Trump when they meet at their respective state capitals to cast their votes.

"We the people will come together at every state capital across the United States to call on the electors of the Electoral College to listen to the voice of the people and refuse to cast their ballots for Donald Trump," the December 19 Coalition, which is organizing the protests, wrote on its website.

Clinton currently leads Trump by about 2.84 million votes, according to the Cook Political Report, which will likely equal a lead of roughly two percentage points.

The protests are planned for Dec. 19 at designated times in all 50 state capitals, where electors meet to cast their ballots for the nominee of the party they pledged to support when they were either elected or selected to be part of the Electoral College.

The group planning the protests did not immediately return a request for comment on how many people they expect to show up to demonstrate.

The group is hoping the protests will convince electors whose constituencies picked Trump to break their pledge and cast their vote for another candidate, with the ultimate goal of denying Trump the 270 votes he needs to win the White House.

The effort to convince the Electoral College to keep Trump from occupying the Oval Office has gained traction from some big names, including members of Congress and celebrities, who on Wednesday released "A Message for Electors to Unite for America."

Based on the popular vote in all 50 states, Trump won 306 electoral votes to Hillary Clinton's 232. That means protesters would have to convince at least 37 electors to break their pledge and vote for a candidate other than Trump on Monday when they meet. 

It's a Herculean task, given that so far only one Republican elector has publicly come forward to say he plans to be a "faithless elector" who won't vote for Trump.

Harvard Law professor Larry Lessig, who has offered legal counsel to potential faithless electors, said he knows of "at least 20" Republican electors who are considering not voting for Trump — still not enough to reach the magic 37 elector number.

And, even if Trump is denied the 270 votes he needs when the Electoral College meets, Trump is still likely to become president based on what happens next.

If Trump doesn't reach the 270-vote threshold, the election is then kicked to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which is unlikely to deny Trump a win.