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Anti-Electoral College activists hope for chaos
The Hill ^ | February 11, 2020 | Tara Ross

Posted on 02/11/2020 12:53:24 PM PST by karpov

Can presidential electors vote for any candidate they choose? Or must they vote for the candidate who won their states’ popular votes? These questions long have remained unresolved, but now the Supreme Court will tackle the issue.

Anti-Electoral College activists want the decision to work in their favor.

If the Supreme Court holds that electors are free agents who can vote their conscience, these activists hope for panic, discontent and outrage. They hope that voters will be scared into giving them what they’ve always wanted: a constitutional amendment eliminating the Electoral College.

Don’t fall for it. However the court rules, the Electoral College is far more stable than its detractors will acknowledge.

The appeal before the Supreme Court originated from two cases: In Washington, a court held that presidential electors can be required to vote in a certain way or be fined. The 10th Circuit disagreed, holding that electors can vote their conscience.

Presidential electors are elected officials, just as members of Congress are. None of these officials can be booted from office when they break a promise to their constituents. Voters’ recourse is to elect someone new the next time.

If the Supreme Court agrees with the 10th Circuit, is this cause for panic? Will everything change? Will electors begin voting at random, or can we still count on electors to vote in accordance with their own states’ outcomes?

More than 200 years of experience proves the Electoral College can be trusted.

As a matter of history, the “problem” of faithless electors has been mostly theoretical. Of the nearly 24,000 electoral votes cast since 1789, fewer than 30 of these votes have been indisputably cast contrary to voter expectations.

The first of these electors, in 1796, changed his vote to satisfy his own state.

(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: electoralcollege
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1 posted on 02/11/2020 12:53:24 PM PST by karpov
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To: karpov

The Left is looking for a civil war any way they can.


2 posted on 02/11/2020 12:57:32 PM PST by kaehurowing
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To: karpov

Historically, there have been few faithless electors.

Realistically, the electors who are elected by us voters, are all party activists in whichever political party they are members of. And it’s unlikely a critical number would ever buck the party line.

This coming court case could be a preview of what could happen, if the states which want to have an interstate compact of states, which pledge their electors to the winner of the popular vote, ever is enacted by enough states to take effect.


3 posted on 02/11/2020 12:58:07 PM PST by Dilbert San Diego
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To: karpov

Hate the Founders

Hate the Constitution

Hate all our Founding Documents

Hate the Nation’s founding principles

Hate our immigration laws

Hate that we have a border

Hate the Electoral College

Who could have guessed?


4 posted on 02/11/2020 1:00:25 PM PST by DoughtyOne (Time to up our FR Monthlies by 5-10%. You'll < hardly miss it and it will help.)
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To: kaehurowing

yes


5 posted on 02/11/2020 1:00:28 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not Averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: karpov

Electors are party loyalists and not likely to give their vote to the other party.


6 posted on 02/11/2020 1:00:49 PM PST by doug from upland (Why the hell isn't Hillary Rodham Clinton in prison yet?)
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To: karpov

Two GOP defectors in 2016 vs. five from the Hildebeast. Both GOP defectors were from Texas. The witch had four from Washington and one from Hawaii.


7 posted on 02/11/2020 1:02:43 PM PST by Vigilanteman (The politicized state destroys aspects of civil society, human kindness and private charity.)
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To: karpov

Wanna see real chaos: What if the national vote comes within 1% or less and we have to recount the nation?


8 posted on 02/11/2020 1:10:33 PM PST by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: DoughtyOne

They learned all that from the most popular US history textbook used in schools - “A People’s History of the United States”, by Howard Zinn, an America hater.


9 posted on 02/11/2020 1:10:57 PM PST by aquila48 (Do not let them make you care!)
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To: karpov

Remember how the Electors were treated by the Leftists when Trump won?


10 posted on 02/11/2020 1:15:29 PM PST by jeffc (The U.S. media are our enemy)
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To: aquila48

Thanks. I’ve heard the name, but didn’t know him or his textbook.

It’s simply amazing that nobody holding a public office challenges this.


11 posted on 02/11/2020 1:15:58 PM PST by DoughtyOne (Time to up our FR Monthlies by 5-10%. You'll < hardly miss it and it will help.)
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To: karpov

Two voting to steal from the third is not in the Constitution.


12 posted on 02/11/2020 1:17:19 PM PST by jonascord (First rule of the Dunning-Kruger Club is that you do not know you are in the Dunning-Kruger club.)
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To: karpov

Even if they manage to destroy the electoral college, the dems will still lose. How many repubs in California, New York, Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, etc don’t even bother to vote anymore, knowing that their states are utterly impossible to prevail in.

They assume the voting total of 2016 would be the same if it was not an electoral system. That’s pure folly.


13 posted on 02/11/2020 1:19:39 PM PST by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. ....)
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To: who_would_fardels_bear
What if the national vote comes within 1% or less and we have to recount the nation?

Can't happen.

It's not one national vote. It's 50 state votes. You'd only recount the states that are within 1%, if that's what is in their individual election law.

-PJ

14 posted on 02/11/2020 1:20:03 PM PST by Political Junkie Too (Freedom of the press is the People's right to publish, not CNN's right to the 1st question.)
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To: DoughtyOne
"It’s simply amazing that nobody holding a public office challenges this."

The public school system has been infiltrated for half a century with Communists. Zinn's text is very popular with the Left. Basically, it says that the US is illegal.

15 posted on 02/11/2020 1:20:47 PM PST by jonascord (First rule of the Dunning-Kruger Club is that you do not know you are in the Dunning-Kruger club.)
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To: jonascord

Thanks for the mention.


16 posted on 02/11/2020 1:21:58 PM PST by DoughtyOne (Time to up our FR Monthlies by 5-10%. You'll < hardly miss it and it will help.)
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To: aquila48

Yep.


17 posted on 02/11/2020 1:22:06 PM PST by RushIsMyTeddyBear ("Progressives" (elitist communists) "Love you to death".)
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To: karpov

Remember, the 2000 presidential election was 271-269. If there had been 2 faithless electors Al Gore would’ve been president.


18 posted on 02/11/2020 1:22:40 PM PST by sloanrb
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To: karpov

Makes me wonder why the app was created.


19 posted on 02/11/2020 1:22:55 PM PST by RushIsMyTeddyBear ("Progressives" (elitist communists) "Love you to death".)
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To: DoughtyOne
Hate the Founders Hate the Constitution Hate all our Founding Documents Hate the Nation’s founding principles Hate our immigration laws Hate that we have a border Hate the Electoral College Who could have guessed?

Hate America Hate Americans

20 posted on 02/11/2020 1:24:13 PM PST by precisionshootist
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