2

Are members of the Electoral College allowed to vote in the general election?

It would make perfect sense that they could cast a ballot like everyone else (because there's stuff on the ballot besides president), but are they allowed to vote for president?

Improve this question

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
7

Yes, of course electors can vote in the general election and for president. Elected officials are permitted to cast ballots in favor of themselves and similarly an elector can vote for their intended candidate and themselves.

Improve this answer
2
  • 4
    Besides which, at the time of the election, they are only potential Electors; the other party has a set as well. Choosing a set of Electors from several sets is what the whole Presidential election is about.
    – DJohnM
    Commented Oct 16, 2016 at 15:51
  • Actually @DJohnM, according to the Minutes of the Constitutional Convention and Alexander Hamilton's writings as Publius, our Founding Fathers never planned for electors to be chosen in "sets" or to have an "intended" candidate. Per Federalist Paper 68 they meant for them to be selected individually by their local peers on election day and then to gather in each state on the same day and deliberate on the matter. What we have today, a pre-set group hand-picked by the party elite to rubber-stamp the party's choice, is quite different than what the writers of the Constitution wanted.
    – O.M.Y.
    Commented Nov 20, 2016 at 2:44

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .