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Show Monday UVU ELECTION October 27, 2008 Presidential election sequence of events GENERAL ELECTION The election that determines which candidate each state nominates for president During each party's convention the states select their electors for the final vote. The electors in each state meet to select the president and vice president of the United States on behalf of their state. PRIMARIES ELECTORAL VOTE Narrows down the candidates to one per political party to run in the final presidential election. Each state's electors vote on behalf of the people in their state. Each state is given a number of electors based on population. THE PRESIDENT IS CHOSEN Wait four years, rinse and repeat. Illustration by Jordy Kirkman/ UVU Review FAQs about the election process O Is my vote for President and Vice President meaningful in the Electoral College system? Yes, within your state, your vote has a great deal of significance. Under the Electoral College system, we do not elect the President and Vice President through a direct nation-wide vote. We select electors, who pledge their electoral vote to a specific candidate. In December, the electors of each state meet to vote for President and Vice President. The Presidential elec- A tion is decided by the combined results of the 51 (the 50 states and the District of Columbia) state elections. It is possible that an elector could ignore the results of the popular vote, but that occurs very rarely. Your vote helps decide which candidate receives your state's electoral votes. O What impact does a candidate's concession speech have on the Electoral College process? None. A candidate's concession speech does not impact the States' A duties and responsibilities related to the Electoral College system. On December 15, 2008, the electors will meet in each State to cast their ballots. O A Who selects the electors? The process for selecting electors varies throughout the United States. Generally, the political parties nominate electors at their State party conventions or by a vote of the party's central committee in each State. Electors are often selected to recognize their service and dedication to their political party. They may be State elected officials, party leaders or persons who have a personal or political affiliation with the Presidential candidate. Then the voters in each State choose the electors on the day of the general election. The electors' names may or may not appear on the ballot below the name of the candidates running for President, depending on the procedure in each State. Must electors vote for the candidate who won their State's popular vote? There is no Constitutional provision or Federal law that requires electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their States. Some States, however, require electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote. These pledges fall into two categories —electors bound by State law and those bound by pledges to political parties. The Supreme Court has held that the Constitution does not require that electors be completely free to act as A they choose and therefore, political parties may extract pledges from electors to vote for the parties' nominees. Today, it is rare for electors to disregard the popular vote by casting their electoral vote for someone other than their party's candidate. Electors generally hold a leadership position in their party or were chosen to recognize years of loyal service to the party. Throughout our history as a nation, more than 99 percent of electors have voted as pledged. Info from http-7Avww.archives.gov/ U.S. Electoral College map Displaying the number of electoral votes in each state based on population Democratic Swing States Republican Illustration by Jordy Kirkman/ UVU Review |