Replies

Option 2 is worrisome. Assuming Bush wins with at least 1 vote to spare, they will have one of his electors vote for Cheney instead to prevent this (then the House would pick Cheney).

Of course, if 4 Kerry electors vote 2 each for two random Democrats, this won't work, Kerry and the 2 random Democrats will get voted on by the House instead. If this happens, and Bush gets assassinated between the electors voting and their votes being read, I don't want to think about what will happen.

OK, I did think about it. The GOP-controlled House delegations would abstain on every vote, the House would deadlock, and it would go to the Senate, which would pick Cheney.

Then it would be payback time.

Of course, if 4 Kerry electors vote 2 each for two random Democrats, this won't work, Kerry and the 2 random Democrats will get voted on by the House instead. If this happens, and Bush gets assassinated between the electors voting and their votes being read, I don't want to think about what will happen. That would never happen. If there is an assassination plot I don't think that the electors would be in on it. If for some insane reason they did attempt this plan it would be sufficient evidence of treason. What would probably happen would be that the House, Senate, and Supreme Court would probably all agree to ignore the Constitution (as if they don't every day) and just make Cheney president. If the Democrats spoke up with one word of complaint they would be shot, possibly starting CW2. I wonder how a Civil War would be conducted in the modern US. Because we essentially have a democracy just getting the enemy to submit doesn't work. After the fighting died down we'd just get more elections, possibly with results contrary to the force that just won. So I think there would be an effort to get voter registration rolls and there would be a bloodbath.