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sarisataka

(21,499 posts)
11. The Electoral College is
Sat Jan 14, 2017, 12:09 PM
Jan 2017

the process 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.
https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html

The process is described in the Constitution.

Article II
Section 1. The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows
Section 2. Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector
Section 3. The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice President.
Section 4. 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.


Note this has been modified by the 12th Amendment but the Electors are still the means of selecting a President.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

What an interesting idea! KittyWampus Jan 2017 #1
I haven't heard about this until now when I read the article Iamaartist Jan 2017 #2
Why would the media say anything on this? EL34x4 Jan 2017 #23
Saying that he has zero chance of prevailing is overstating his chances onenote Jan 2017 #3
The Constitution doesn't even mention the popular vote.... Wounded Bear Jan 2017 #4
Does it mention the Electoral College? brush Jan 2017 #5
Yes, and it defines how it works... Wounded Bear Jan 2017 #6
12th Amendment? Not in the original Constitution? brush Jan 2017 #9
12th Amendment only addresses how VP is elected vis-a-vis the Pres... Wounded Bear Jan 2017 #12
My question was really is the EC in the original Constitution or was it added later... brush Jan 2017 #16
The Constitution is readily available for free online tammywammy Jan 2017 #19
I think we all know that. I was just asking a simple question to those who responded... brush Jan 2017 #20
The answer is in Article 2. n/t tammywammy Jan 2017 #21
A simple yes or no would've done it. brush Jan 2017 #22
Yes. It also sets January 20 as the date the new president takes office onenote Jan 2017 #7
Nitpicking: yeah, but not right away. mahatmakanejeeves Jan 2017 #30
The Electoral College is sarisataka Jan 2017 #11
The electoral college is a vestige of slavery but this isn't going to work. Garrett78 Jan 2017 #8
How does one sarisataka Jan 2017 #10
Wishful thinking? Fairy dust? Good drugs? What a waste of money and time!!! n/t Yo_Mama Jan 2017 #14
Not fairy dust, more like angel dust. It's a (crack) pipe dream... nt dionysus Jan 2017 #15
Maybe not. It could hightlight the absurdity of the EC to people that don't know... brush Jan 2017 #17
Repeating a lie does not make it true. Yo_Mama Jan 2017 #24
What's the lie you say is being repeated? brush Jan 2017 #25
Electoral college/presidential voting in Constitution was to protect slave states. Yo_Mama Jan 2017 #26
No matter. The EC is still absurd and archaic. It needs to be adjusted or ditched... brush Jan 2017 #27
It will take a constitutional amendment, and I don't see why WI, RI, ND etc Yo_Mama Jan 2017 #28
Won't happen overnight, just as the end of slavery and the ban on women voting... brush Jan 2017 #29
a lawsuit that is summarily dismissed isn't going to help get an amendment passed. onenote Jan 2017 #31
I didn't say that. It'll take a concerted movement to make it happen . . . brush Jan 2017 #32
The Crazy, it is strong in that one. n/t Yo_Mama Jan 2017 #13
It would be better to increase the size of Congress Retrograde Jan 2017 #18
Maybe if they tap their heels 3 times... jmg257 Jan 2017 #33
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