GoldenRod
10 years on LIF!
Member since 11/06 26792 total posts
Name:
Shawn
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Learned something about the Electoral College and write-ins
I copied this from someone else...
The POTUS is elected by an electoral college made up of 538 electors. 535 represent the total number of electors based on the members of congress which is determined by population and 3 for the District of Columbia. US Reps and Senators are not the electors, they are chosen at the state level. In Dec (following the election), the electors meet and formally cast their ballots (usually based on the will of the people but not always). These ballots are then sent to the President of the Senate, assembled and prepared for the Joint Session of Congress around Jan 6 at which time the ballots are counted and the final winners announced formally. The magic number is 270 which is an absolute majority.
State laws govern who may appear on the general election presidential ballot. So here is the deal about that write in that you and others have been touting.
In order for Bernie to be able to be a Write In, he would have to file paperwork in those states that allow for write in. If he does not file, any votes for him are NOT COUNTED.
35 states require a candidate to file to be a write-in. Arkansas, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota do not allow for Write In. Vermont, Wyoming, Oregon, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Iowa, Delaware, and Alabama do not require candidate filing. So the big states like PA, CA, FL, OH, and NY require a candidate to file as a write in, otherwise any vote for that person is not counted and not considered.
I did not know about this....
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JennP
LIF Adult
Member since 10/06 3986 total posts
Name:
Jenn
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Re: Learned something about the Electoral College and write-ins
Yup. According to federalism, elections are strictly under state control.
That's all well and good when it's not a national election, but when it is...things get wacky! There's no consistency.
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