The meat of the article is in these two paragraphs:
"First, it is true that state legislatures have the power to determine how electors are appointed and all states made those determinations in advance of the November election. As they have for nearly 150 years, all states chose to have electors selected directly by the voters in their respective states. This is what occurred on Election Day when over 150 million Americans voted for electors pledged to support Donald Trump or Joe Biden. State legislatures, then, have already done their job by choosing how electors would be selected. The voters then chose electors and it is now up to state executive officials to certify those votes. The Electoral Count Act of 1887 clearly indicates that states cannot change the rules after the election has been held. If in the future a state legislature would like to have the authority to directly select electors for their state, they are free to pass that legislation. However, I suspect no state would be willing to take that leap for 2024.
Second, although faithless electors have existed throughout our nation's history — including a record number in 2016 — the chances of Democratic electors bolting from the Biden campaign are virtually nonexistent. Having surveyed electors from each of the past five presidential elections, it is clear to me that they represent some of the most partisan individuals in American politics. They are chosen for their party loyalty, and in the case of Democratic electors the thought of a Trump presidency is a nonstarter. Throughout history, only one elector (in 1796) ever voted for the opponent of their party's ticket."
So there, folks. Absent some incredibly unlikely wave of court decisions invalidating the election in multiple States, the Electors will meet next month and the majority will vote for Joe Biden as our next President.
"The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States."
Article II, Section 1
The Congress has done so:
"The electors of President and Vice President shall be appointed, in each State, on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, in every fourth year succeeding every election of a President and Vice President."
3 USC sec. 1
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/3/1
Any attempt by a State legislature post-election to replace the Electors chosen would violate a Federal law specifically authorized by the Constitutional text.
@no1maraudersaid Informative article here debunking some hand wringing concerns expressed by "liberals" and desperate hopes expressed by "right wingers":
The meat of the article is in these two paragraphs:
"First, it is true that state legislatures have the p ...[text shortened]... s, the Electors will meet next month and the majority will vote for Joe Biden as our next President.
Nobody on this forum suggested the electoral college would save Trump that I am aware of.
@no1maraudersaid the chances of Democratic electors bolting from the Biden campaign are virtually nonexistent.
One hell of a cherry-pick right there.
No one is concerned about Democratic faithless electors; it's the Republican ones in red states like Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona that are of concern. There's nothing stopping them from flipping their states for Trump.
To me American electoral politics is akin to the Bamboozled game from Friends...
”You spin the Wheel of Mayhem to go up the Ladder of Chance. You go past the Mud Hut through the Rainbow Ring to get to the Golden Monkey; you yank his tail and boom! You’re in Paradise Pond!”
In the unlikely event someone has never seen it, here’s the scene: YouTube
@divegeestersaid To me American electoral politics is akin to the Bamboozled game from Friends...
”You spin the Wheel of Mayhem to go up the Ladder of Chance. You go past the Mud Hut through the Rainbow Ring to get to the Golden Monkey; you yank his tail and boom! You’re in Paradise Pond!”
In the unlikely event someone has never seen it, here’s the scene: [youtube] b6LgacKFGaE[/youtube]
To me American electoral politics is akin to the Bamboozled game from Friends...
That is unfortunately correct. Lots of anger over here. That said, Brexit is making a mess of things over in the land of The Lady of The Lake, is it not?
@vivifysaid No one is concerned about Democratic faithless electors; it's the Republican ones in red states like Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona that are of concern. There's nothing stopping them from flipping their states for Trump.
The Republican electors don't get a say. The slate of electors for the states Biden won will be nominated by the state Democratic Party.
@teinosukesaid The Republican electors don't get a say. The slate of electors for the states Biden won will be nominated by the state Democratic Party.
Is that so?
To be honest, I have no idea how the electoral college things are filled.
I reckoned it was a group of people put in place for 4 years by some or other elected body. Probably over-paid with nothing else to do.
Well, I just read how it works...
It’s all rather complicated.
Each state choses it’s electors on the first Monday after the first tuesday in November... after the election.
So the electord should be representative of the votes.
How that works on trailer parks like Georgia and Arizona that didn’t have a winner by that day is completely unclear.
It’s also not clear to me who actually puts the electors in place. If they’re put in place by the winning party or if they’re put in place via some other mechanism. If it’s that former, then it certainly leaves a door open for trump.
@shavixmirsaid Well, I just read how it works...
It’s all rather complicated.
Each state choses it’s electors on the first Monday after the first tuesday in November... after the election.
So the electord should be representative of the votes.
How that works on trailer parks like Georgia and Arizona that didn’t have a winner by that day is completely unclear.
It’s also not clea ...[text shortened]... place via some other mechanism. If it’s that former, then it certainly leaves a door open for trump.
Each party nominates two electors per state if that party wins the popular vote in that state then it’s the electors nominated by that party who are supposed to give the number of electoral votes allocated to that state to the candidate representing that party in the POTUS race.
The democrats won enough electoral votes to reach and surpass the 270 needed to claim the White House.
The likelihood that enough democrat nominated electors will switch to Trump is very very very unlikely.
Apparently there is a mechanism whereby the state legislators can ignore the winning parties nominated electors and send other electors but that would be a nuclear option in terms of future elections and I don’t think it’s been done in modern history if at all.
@kevcvs57said Each party nominates two electors per state if that party wins the popular vote in that state then it’s the electors nominated by that party who are supposed to give the number of electoral votes allocated to that state to the candidate representing that party in the POTUS race.
That's the key detail I wasn't aware of. Thanks for that.
So this means Trump can't win. Good.
Edit: this link seems to have a thorough explanation, including what Kev said, which was correct:
@vivifysaid One hell of a cherry-pick right there.
No one is concerned about Democratic faithless electors; it's the Republican ones in red states like Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona that are of concern. There's nothing stopping them from flipping their states for Trump.
Electoral College Won't Save Trump
14 Nov '20 17:01
YouTube
Back to Top