Faithless electors

The American public does not vote for the president. What is portrayed as a vote for president is in fact a vote for electors. This is not always obvious because there are ways this has been obscured.


I have not personally checked out ballots in all 50 states, but I believe all of them include the name of a presidential candidate. Most ballots will not contain the names of the electors who are receiving votes. In one form or another, the states bind the electors to a presidential candidate. People vote more based off who they want to win the presidential election than who they want to be an elector.

What happens when an elector votes against the presidential candidate to whom they are bound? This has sparked a debate, especially considering the number of electors who did just that in 2016. These electors are referred to as faithless electors.

Many states have dismissed electors and removed their votes. From a procedural standpoint, this seems unethical. Keep in mind that the people are voting for the electors. They may not know their names, but these electors have been elected by the people. Dismissing electors effectively allows a state to overturn election results.

A big part of the problem with all of this is that people simply don't understand the system. I'm hardly an expert myself. Presidential elections may be portrayed as the people voting for president, but the general public is not directly involved in the real presidential election. I'm sure a lot of people hate the idea that they cast a ballot with a presidential candidate's name on it just to have an elector vote for someone else, but keep in mind how the presidential election actually works. Replacing an elector doesn't protect the results. This approach actually overturns the results.