Russ Alllah Gehry
VIP Member
- Dec 11, 2016
- 1,321
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Why must we do this? Why are so many people so ignorant of the basics, given that anyone online here has access to a myriad of search engines?
The Electoral College
What is the Electoral College?
The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The founding fathers established it in the Constitution as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.
The Electoral College process consists of the selection of the electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress. - U. S. Electoral College, Official - What is the Electoral College?
We appear to be too easily susceptible to the alarmist and anarchistic voices within our society. While their voices are not many, they are loud; and with the development of the web, they have become ubiquitous.
The ignorance of far too many people is what is infecting our ailing democratic system. Our republic cannot stand much longer, if the current deterioration in our representative democratic system continues. Most people agree that an educated, as well as an informed public is necessary to a healthy polity. I would argue that alone is not enough. I believe we need a basic critical thinking skill set, mixed with a serious dose of healthy skepticism, in order to halt and then repair the deterioration of our systems and the processes we use. We could do this by starting with some basic civics lessons.
Are there restrictions on who the Electors can vote for?
There is no Constitutional provision or Federal law that requires Electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their states. Some states, however, require Electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote. These pledges fall into two categories—Electors bound by state law and those bound by pledges to political parties.
The U.S. Supreme Court has held that the Constitution does not require that Electors be completely free to act as they choose and therefore, political parties may extract pledges from electors to vote for the parties' nominees. Some state laws provide that so-called "faithless Electors" may be subject to fines or may be disqualified for casting an invalid vote and be replaced by a substitute elector. The Supreme Court has not specifically ruled on the question of whether pledges and penalties for failure to vote as pledged may be enforced under the Constitution. No Elector has ever been prosecuted for failing to vote as pledged.
Today, it is rare for Electors to disregard the popular vote by casting their electoral vote for someone other than their party's candidate. Electors generally hold a leadership position in their party or were chosen to recognize years of loyal service to the party. Throughout our history as a nation, more than 99 percent of Electors have voted as pledged. - U. S. Electoral College: Who Are the Electors? How Do They Vote?
There is no Constitutional provision or Federal law that requires Electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their states. Some states, however, require Electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote. These pledges fall into two categories—Electors bound by state law and those bound by pledges to political parties.
The U.S. Supreme Court has held that the Constitution does not require that Electors be completely free to act as they choose and therefore, political parties may extract pledges from electors to vote for the parties' nominees. Some state laws provide that so-called "faithless Electors" may be subject to fines or may be disqualified for casting an invalid vote and be replaced by a substitute elector. The Supreme Court has not specifically ruled on the question of whether pledges and penalties for failure to vote as pledged may be enforced under the Constitution. No Elector has ever been prosecuted for failing to vote as pledged.
Today, it is rare for Electors to disregard the popular vote by casting their electoral vote for someone other than their party's candidate. Electors generally hold a leadership position in their party or were chosen to recognize years of loyal service to the party. Throughout our history as a nation, more than 99 percent of Electors have voted as pledged. - U. S. Electoral College: Who Are the Electors? How Do They Vote?
The Electoral College
What is the Electoral College?
The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The founding fathers established it in the Constitution as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.
The Electoral College process consists of the selection of the electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress. - U. S. Electoral College, Official - What is the Electoral College?
We appear to be too easily susceptible to the alarmist and anarchistic voices within our society. While their voices are not many, they are loud; and with the development of the web, they have become ubiquitous.
The ignorance of far too many people is what is infecting our ailing democratic system. Our republic cannot stand much longer, if the current deterioration in our representative democratic system continues. Most people agree that an educated, as well as an informed public is necessary to a healthy polity. I would argue that alone is not enough. I believe we need a basic critical thinking skill set, mixed with a serious dose of healthy skepticism, in order to halt and then repair the deterioration of our systems and the processes we use. We could do this by starting with some basic civics lessons.
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