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Are electors pledged by the constitution to vote according to the popular vote?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
No, but state law may require it.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
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The framers of the Constitution agreed that the president should be elected by the?
The constitution calls for the President to elected by electors from the states. It allows the state legislatures to decide how to choose its electors. Probably most of the framers expected the legislatures to elect the electors rather than holding a popular election to choose them.
In most states the winner of the popular vote get?
In all states but Nebraska and Maine, the winner of the popular vote gets all of that state's electoral votes. (Technically, the slate of electors pledged to the winning candidate is elected by the popular vote and these people go on to cast the state's electoral vote. )
What is the district plan?
Proposal for choosing presidential electors by which two electors would be selected in each State according to the Statewide popular vote and the other electors would be selected separately in each of the State's congressional districts.
What is district plan?
Proposal for choosing presidential electors by which two electors would be selected in each State according to the Statewide popular vote and the other electors would be selected separately in each of the State's congressional districts.
Who officially elects the president of the U.S.?
The electors, aka the Electoral College (though that term is not used in the Constitution). The US Constitution specifies the number of electors and the way they are to be apportioned among the states. It doesn't explicitly state how the states are to choose their electors. At present, all state choose their electors based on the results of the popular election; in most states it's on a "winner take all" basis, but they're not required to do it that way.
Who is the US President chosen by?
The US President is chosen by the Electoral College, which is obligated by law to vote according to the results of the popular election in all but two states. The number of Electors for each state is determined by their population as a percentage of the total US population, counted during the last census. For this reason, it is possible for a candidate to win the national popular election, but lose in the electoral college. Electoral members can and HAVE voted for other then the candidate they were sent to support
How are states presidential electors chosen?
In truth, the state legislatures have plenary (ultimate) power to appoint the Presidential Electors for the state. In practice, all legislatures delegate the power to select Electors pledged to support various candidates to a ballot referendum in some form or fashion. Most states allow for a winner-take-all, first-past-the-post method of election. However, in the event that the popular election of Presidential Electors is disputed or litigated, all state legislatures reserve the power to appoint their Electors.
How does Texas cast its Electoral votes is it a party vote or is it by the popular vote?
The party that receives the most votes for president and vice president from the people of Texas will have its entire slate of 38 electors appointed to cast their votes in December. The way it works is, waiting to be appointed as electors are 38 people who have pledged to vote Republican, another 38 people who have pledged to vote Democratic, another 38 people who have pledged to vote for Rosanne Barr, and so on. Then on Election Day, let's say for example that 30% of Texans vote for Barack Obama, 30% vote for Mitt Romney and 40% vote for Rosanne Barr. Then it will be the 38 people who have pledged to vote for Rosanne Barr that get appointed as electors by the state of Texas. (Again, this is only an example.) A simple majority of popular votes is enough; an absolute majority is not necessary, and a runoff election is not necessary (as would be the case with any other Texas election in which nobody received more than 50% of the popular vote).
In most states the winner of the popular vote gets what?
In all states but Nebraska and Maine, the winner of the popular vote gets all of that state's electoral votes. (Technically, the slate of electors pledged to the winning candidate is elected by the popular vote and these people go on to cast the state's electoral vote. )
What does the original constitution say about voting?
Only that citizens have the right to vote for a US Representative if they are able to vote in the largest house of their state's legislature. People did not have the right to vote, granted by the Constitution, for anything else including Senators and the President/Vice President. Some states did have popular voting for Senators and Presidential Electors at the time, but it was not required. It is still not required for states to allow popular voting for Presidential Electors, however all states practice this.
If Obama gets more pledged delegates but Clinton wins by super delegates can you still cast your vote for Obama as a write-in candidate at the general election?
If Obama received more pledged delegates (voted for), superdelegates (appointed by the party, mostly elected officials) would feel tremendous pressure to vote similarly.Each state has different rules regarding electors and write-in votes, so it's hard to say how they would pick electors in the unlikely scenario that a write-in candidate wins. States generally require that a candidate's desired electors be chosen in advance of the election, but that clearly wouldn't happen with a write-in candidate. A few states require write-in votes to include the name of an elector as well. But generally, if a write-in candidate were to receive a plurality of the votes, it would be up to each state's legislature to sort it out. According to the US Constitution, each state legislature can decide how they apportion their electors. Early in our country's history, many states didn't have their people vote for president, instead the state legislatures voted for President (by assigning electors). But every state eventually changed to using a popular vote. If there is doubt on how to proceed, the buck stops at the state legislature, who can, in a pinch, select electors themselves. In 2000, the Florida legislature was preparing to choose electors if the popular vote wasn't finalized in time for the Electoral College deadline; the Florida legislature is controlled by Republicans, and would obviously have chosen electors pledged to Bush.With that said, the US two-party system is fairly entrenched, and a write-in campaign is generally an exercise in futility. Furthermore, Senator Obama has clearly stated that he would endorse and campaign for the Democratic nominee, so those writing him in would be going against his wishes.
What happens if a presidential candidate does not win the popular vote?
The popular vote has no bearing on the Presidential and Vice Presidential elections themselves. It is used by the states to determine which electors get appointed. State electors are "pledged" to vote for the candidate of the party that chose them. In 48 states plus D.C., the winner of the popular vote in each state will receive all of that state's electoral votes in the real Presidential and Vice Presidential elections when they meet in December. In Maine and Nebraska, the winner of the popular vote in each state receives two of that state's electoral votes, and each additional electoral vote goes to the candidate who wins the popular vote in each of the state's federal congressional districts.
