Dec 16, 2016 a republican elector from texas who has promised not to vote for donald trump on monday has misrepresented his personal work history, according to a news report by a dallasft. Given this history, what is new are recent efforts to remove andor punish. It was pretty scandalous at the time, and he faced a. Of course, we dont know for sure that an elector will be faithless until he or she actually casts his or her electoral college vote. But heres what the pipe looks like, and why its important. Single electors in both maine and minnesota attempted to cast ballots for. Electoral college could see historic numbers of faithless electors. Since the founding of the electoral college, there have been 157 faithless electors. How it works in contemporary presidential elections congressional research service 1 introduction the president and vice president of the united states are chosen indirectly by a group of persons. Constitution allows presidential electors to vote against the candidate the popular vote in their state commits them to vote for. Red denotes states won by bushquayle, blue denotes those won by dukakisbentsen. Supruns declared defection from trump marks the first time that a republican has broken ranks in this election cycle to become what is known as a faithless elector. The movement attempted to find 37 republican electors willing to vote for a different republican. Questions raised about resume of antitrump faithless elector.
These rogue electors have never changed the outcome of an election but that doesnt mean they couldnt in the future. Dec 05, 2016 none of the 157 faithless electors in american history have ever faced prosecution. The founding fathers created the electoral college to protect the rights of smaller. The need for the electoral college in our electoral process has long been debated, particularly after heated political contests as we saw in 2016. This has led some to question why americans use this system to elect their presidents in. Nov 06, 2016 the problem with a faithless elector is not failing to be appointed on november 8. One thing, however, would be different with this scenario. Some states impose a penalty for this action, but the fines are relatively light. We werent alive in 1836 or 1872, so the election cycle of 2016 was the craziest in our lifetime. In colorado, faithless elector michael baca cast a vote for john kasich though pledged to hillary clinton. Faithless electors in the 2016 united states presidential. This movement, dubbed the hamilton electors, was cofounded by micheal baca of colorado and bret chiafalo of washington. Gray denotes won by bentsen by a west virginia faithless elector. Faithless elector is an intriguing and engaging political thriller set around a possibly corrupt american presidential election.
Thirtytwo states plus the district of columbia have laws against faithless electors, though a majority contain no enforcement mechanism. Below we use 2016 as an example, but the logic generally applies to any presidential election. This was the last election in which alaska and hawaii were not states. American history, 157 electors have voted contrary to their states chosen winner. Electoral college could see historic numbers of faithless. Walter burgwyn jones got one vote by a faithless elector in alabama. Dec 20, 2016 a faithless elector in minnesota in 2004 saw abdurrahman replaced to cast a vote for clinton. The faithless elector is hardly part of the patrician 19th century thinking that deliberately put a middleman between the public and the presidency. Two electors are trying to withhold the presidency from. The article below is written as advice to potential faithless electors thinking about how to vote in 2016, but doubles as a lesson in civics regarding the powers and responsibilities of the u. Electoral college, it is essential to understand its historical context and the problem that the. Nov 16, 2016 if faithless electors are going to upset the election for the first time in history, in an otherwise untraditional election, it makes sense to either crosspollinate vps or to offer america a more centered and less divisive choice for president bernie, kasich, kaine, and pence all come to mind. A faithless elector is an elector who ignores their pledge to vote for a certain candidate.
I recall reading in a history book long ago about the time of the articles of confederation, and the lead. Still, if the prospect of a faithless elector is so fearsome as to warrant a. Without faithless elector laws, electors are free to select whomever they wish in the electoral college. None of the 157 faithless electors in american history have ever faced prosecution. There have been more than 150 faithless electors since 1789 for various reasons. The most recent faithless elector was a democrat from west virginia in. The first faithless elector was in 1796, when samuel miles cast his vote for thomas jefferson rather than john adams. But another faithless elector, like one of the two who have signaled intents to be faithless in washington state, could bring the 270 number back down to 269 to 269, thereby sending the election to the house of representatives after all. In the 2016 united states presidential election, ten members of the electoral college voted or attempted to vote for a candidate different from whom they were pledged. In united states presidential elections, a faithless elector is a member of the united states. I had been friends with roger macbride in the 1990s, and he had regaled me with stories about when he was a faithless elector in 1972, voting for lp nominee john hospers instead of richard nixon i still have macbrides excellent book on the electoral college. The evolution of the electoral college behind the scenes. In lieu of penalizing a faithless elector, some states such as colorado, michigan, and minnesota specify a faithless electors vote be voided.
Faithless electors are members of the united states electoral college who decide not to vote for the presidential or vicepresidential candidate they pledged to vote for. What happened the last time we had a faithless elector. The big lie jack swyteck, book 16 free books epub truepdf. A young researcher uncovers a series of deaths among electors and must race against time and secret, deadly efficient conspiracy. Eisenhower suffered a heart attack in september 1955 while in colorado for a. Faithless electors are members of the electoral college who, for whatever reason, do not vote for their partys designated candidate.
Its time to abolish the electoral college brookings institution. There have only been 157 instances of faithless electors in the 57 previous presidential elections held in the united states, and many of those cases have taken place because the electors candidate passed away i. Supreme court paused manual recounts to hear oral arguments from. Dec 05, 2016 supruns declared defection from trump marks the first time that a republican has broken ranks in this election cycle to become what is known as a faithless elector. In this lesson you will learn what a faithless elector is and what impact they have on presidential elections. Legislative session calendar masons manual staff directories state liaisons. Faithless electors in history show that 2016s hamilton crew. No election result has ever been changed due to the actions of. The electors bringing these lawsuits argue that the constitution gives them the right to vote for anyone for president, regardless of the will of the voters in the state they represent. Ahouse of representatives bsenate cstate legislatures d.
These electors either vote for another candidate or dont vote at all. This election result is sometimes referred to, particularly by proponents of electoral college reform, as a wrong. Taming the electoral college explores poorly understood aspects of the electoral college, including two possibilities in particular that could pose the most serious danger for american democracy. The election of 1820 was the last uncontested election for president in united states history, and plummer did not feel that the electoral college. The peoples president, the electoral college in american history and the. This means that an elector might choose a candidate at the last moment, despite a states clear preference for a different candidate. States will count a faithless electors ballot but impose.
In the past not since 1964, there have been unpledged electors who were nominated to stand as. In the past not since 1964, there have been unpledged electors who were nominated to stand as electors, but werent obliged to vote for a. The nation voted on november 8, 2016 and donald trump defeated hillary clinton in assumed delegates 306 232, while losing by a large margin in the popular vote. As the electoral college battle for the white house lands in a florida courtroom, miami attorney jack swyteck has never felt farther from the truth, fighting for a faithless elector, caught between a corrupt president and his manipulative opponentwith each revelation more explosive than the. One novel npv provision would enable the presidential candidate who. The electoral college has been divisive since day one. For the sixth time in american history, the winner of the.
President, i should like to take just a moment to alert my fellow senators on both sides of the aisle to the questions which will be raised on monday with respect to the challenge of the electoral vote of a north carolina presidential elector. No electors have turned faithless in recent elections. Of the incident, muhammad said that state law said he had to follow the state vote but the constitution does not. In more than half the country, electors are required to obey the results of their states popular vote and cast their ballots accordingly.
When matthew yamashita, a graduate student at the university of washington, discovers a series of unexplained deaths among electors, he and his advisor. In addition to its practical import, the faithlesselectors example shows the. Circuit court of appeals at denver ruled 21 this week that the electoral college system established by article ii and the 12th amendment of the u. Mar 07, 2017 arguments for and against the electoral college critics calling for the abolishment of the electoral college argue that it is an anachronistic institution that was not the result of a coherent design based on clear political principles but, rather, a complex compromise that reflected the interests of different states and the search for. Its surprising twists add up to a highly suspenseful read. What if more people sign the electoral college petition. Second, a faithless elector is, arguably, only going against just over half the winning margin in their state. How it works in contemporary presidential elections congressional research service 2 of this eventuality, which occurred previously in 1876, 1888, and 2000. First republican faithless elector announces intent to.
Faithless electors may act alone, or join with other electors with. These are, first, determination of the president by faithless electors who ignore the popular vote in their states, and, second, choice of the president in the house of representatives, which is. The term faithless elector is unfortunate, since the accusatory adjective begs. Meet the hamilton electors hoping for an electoral college. It was pretty scandalous at the time, and he faced a lot of backlash for not. Five times in history, presidential candidates have won the popular vote but lost the electoral college. In faithless elector, everyone thinks the election is over. Mccarthy provides seven main offenses that support the impeachment and removal of president obama from office. Now im not going to pretend that i understood all the political jargon and procedures that went on because i didnt but underneath all that lies a very interesting and compelling thriller with some great characters and a highly believable storyline.
The last was in 2004, when an anonymous minnesota elector was meant to vote for john. In some cases, candidates died between election day and the electoral college voting date, forcing. From 1787 through 2015, there have been only 157 faithless electors. The faithless elector problem in addition to the problems noted above, the. In 2016, seven electors broke with their state on the presidential ballot and six did so on the vice presidential ballot. Socalled faithless electors or anomalous electors electors who cast ballots for a candidate other than the one expected by their states legislaturehave existed since early american history, though they have never tipped the outcome of an election. A republican elector from texas who has promised not to vote for donald trump on monday has misrepresented his personal work history, according to. Shapiro, yale book of quotations 146 2006 one must not. Faithless electors the center for voting and democracy, 2009 are electors who either change their vote or abstain from voting.
Electors reasons for voting their own way tend to be idiosyncratic. He was chosen as a ford elector in 1976, but voted instead for ronald reagan, the former california governor who had tried unsuccessfully to take the republican nomination away from president ford. The problem of faithless electors who disregard the popular vote outcome has not been much of an issue in american history, because when an elector refuses to follow the results of a states popular vote, the states usually throw the ballot away. A case for the electoral college and for its faithless elector pdf. First republican faithless elector announces intent to vote. Dec 05, 2016 the first faithless elector was in 1796, when samuel miles cast his vote for thomas jefferson rather than john adams. But despite wide discussion, this complicated system still remains murky to many americans. Publishers weekly says faithless elector is a fastmoving topical thriller.
Faithless electors in history show that 2016s hamilton. The big lie jack swyteck, book 16 the big lie jack swyteck, book 16. Mccarthys book faithless execution was better than expected. Advice for electors thinking about changing their vote in 2016 or beyond. One exception was the 1836 election, in which all 23 virginia electors acted together, altering the outcome of the electoral college vote but failing to. Another recent faithless elector was mike padden of the state of washington. The first half of the book talks about the politics of impeachment in general, and as mccarthy pointedly states, impeachment is not a legal fight but a political one.
Washington became the first state to fine faithless electors after the 2016 election. This has led some to question why americans use this system to. Donald trump could still theoretically not be president. Even that threat might be insignificant to some wouldbe faithless electors, though.
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