Skylar
Diamond Member
- Jul 5, 2014
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Candidates shouldnt get secret service until they have proved their citizenship. I mean, who looked up the citizenship of those guys who ran into the white house......
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Before the election, Issues of eligibility are most typically addressed at the State level. Since the assigning of electors is the sole responsibility of State legislatures, individual Secretaries of State of a US state can question the eligibility of a given candidate to appear on that State's ballots. A presidential candidate has to petition each State individually to be on that State's ballots. And get approval from each State.
50 of 50 times.
If a given Secretary of State has questions, they can request additional documentation. Either from the candidate directly or from government body that issued the documents in question. In 2012, for example, the Secretary of State of Arizona asked the State of Hawaii to verify several key points of information related to Obama's birth in Hawaii. Hawaii did. And after receiving this verification, Obama was certified as eligible to be on the Arizona State ballot for President of the United States.
Certified by who? The Secretary of State of Arizona.
After the election, perhaps the judiciary or the Secretary of State or President of the Senate? Dunno. Its never come up. But it would almost certainly be resolved at the federal level.
Theoretically, during the election the Electors themselves could make that decision unilaterally. Refusing to cast a vote for someone that they don't feel meets the criteria of eligibility. While state law may require an Elector follow the vote of the State, in the electoral college itself the Elector themselves is essentially God. They can cast their vote anyway they wish. They answer to no one.
They may face State sanction and even criminal penalties when they get home. But their vote is legally binding per the constitution and can determine who will be president and vice president.
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