When do states choose electors

They may be State elected officials, State party leaders, or people in the State who have a personal or political affiliation with their party's Presidential candidate. For specific information about how slates of potential electors are chosen, contact the political parties in each State.

The second part of the process happens during the general election. When the voters in each State cast votes for the Presidential candidate of their choice they are voting to select their State's electors. The potential electors' names may or may not appear on the ballot below the name of the Presidential candidates, depending on election procedures and ballot formats in each State. The winning Presidential candidate's slate of potential electors are appointed as the State's electors—except in Nebraska and Maine, which have proportional distribution of the electors.

In Nebraska and Maine, the State winner receives two electors and the winner of each congressional district who may be the same as the overall winner or a different candidate receives one elector. This system permits Nebraska and Maine to award electors to more than one candidate.

Electors do not vote twice for President. They are the only ones who actually vote for President, which they do at the meeting of the electors the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December.

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 Constitution gave each state a number of electors equal to the combined total of representatives and senators who represent that state in the U.

State legislatures are responsible for choosing electors, but how they do this varies from state to state. Until the mids, it was common for many state legislatures to simply appoint electors, while other states let their citizens decide on electors.

Today, the most common method of choosing electors is by state party convention. Either way, political parties usually choose people whom they want to reward for their service to and support of the party. On Election Day, when Americans vote for the presidential and vice presidential candidates of a political party, they are actually voting for the slate of electors who have pledged to cast their votes for that party.

Then, on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, members of the Electoral College meet in their respective states and cast their official votes for president and vice president. Faithless electors have never decided an election, and more than 99 percent of electors in U. But as recently as , seven electors broke with their state on the presidential ballot, and six did so on the vice presidential ballot. In , the U. Constitution and modified by the 12 th and 23 rd Amendments.

The Electoral College consists of a total of members , one for each U. Each state has a number of electoral votes equal to the combined total of its congressional delegation, and each state legislature is free to determine the method it will use to select its own electors.

Currently, all states select electors through a popular vote although how that vote works can differ , but that was not always the case throughout American history. In many states, the state legislature selected electors, a practice which was common until the mids. The following is a summary of how the Electoral College will work in the presidential election:.

The U. Constitution does not specify procedures for the nomination of candidates for presidential elector. The two most common methods the states have adopted are nomination by state party convention and by state party committee.

Generally, the parties select members known for their loyalty and service to the party, such as party leaders, state and local elected officials and party activists. However, in most states, electors' names are not printed on the ballot. All 50 states and the District of Columbia use one of two methods for awarding their electoral votes:. In 48 states and the District of Columbia, when a candidate for president wins a state's popular vote, that party's slate of electors will be the ones to cast the vote for president of the United States in December.

For example, Florida has 29 electoral votes. These 29 people will gather on Dec. Maine and Nebraska are the only states that do not use a winner-take-all system. Instead, in these two states, one electoral vote is awarded to the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote in each congressional district, and the remaining two electoral votes are awarded to the candidates receiving the most votes statewide.