*: No ([hidden]): No (style) ~ *: No (style)[hidden]): No (style) {margin-top: 1rem;}]]> Sam Cabral BBC News, Washington *: No ([hidden]): No (style) ~ *: No (style)[hidden]): No (style) ளி margin-left: 0.5rem;}]]> Image copyright cartridges *: No ([hidden]): No (style) ~ *: No (style)[hidden]): not (style) margin-top: 1rem;}]]> The US presidential election took place five weeks ago, but only the votes to officially anoint the next president are yet to be cast. Elections when Americans go to the polls, they do not vote directly for the president. They actually vote for the group of 538 “voters” who will form the Electoral College. Voters cast their ballots on Monday, December 14, after all 50 states and the District of Columbia certified their election results. Let’s introduce some of these voters in a moment – two ordinary Americans and another known to all – but first, let me remind you how it all works. Who can be a voter? The U.S. Constitution states that voters cannot be members of Congress or others who are currently in federal office. So they could be: Retired Politicians – Former President Bill Clinton voted for his wife Hillary in the 2016 election. State and local elected officials – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was a Democrat voter in 2016 Crossroads activists, campaigners or other people from one state – we have two examples below – Personal or professional contact for the candidate – Donald Trump Jr. was a voter for his father The President of the United States is not directly elected by the electorate, but how are the so-called Electoral Colleges elected by the electorate? Every politics. The party nominates or casts its own electorate in the months leading up to election day with a candidate on the presidential ballot. States have their own rules for electing voters. Depending on the size of the population, each state has the same number of legislators in the U.S. Congress (House and Senate) as the legislature .We know who’s the winner of a state’s popularity, and we know which party will nominate voters for that state. Elections are like rubber stamps that regulate how their state voted, so they are usually loyal supporters of their party. What role do voters play? Voters have already confirmed a support for a particular candidate, so they always vote as promised. As it turned out in 2016, a historic number of so-called “unfaithful voters” – a total of seven – voted for candidates other than the ones they promised to support (five turned against Clinton, two against Trump). This is the first election since 1948 to have more than one unfaithful voter. States have sought to strengthen their rules against unfaithful voters, introduce laws to eliminate them, and return votes if they do not vote as promised, with the support of the U.S. Supreme Court. What will happen in 2020? With the support of many top supporters, President Trump has called on Republican state legislatures to expel popular vote results and lose their own electorate. Electoral legal experts doubt this is possible, and Republican state leaders have backed down from opposing the proposal. Trump’s latest legal length – can it work? A successful presidential candidate must get at least 270 of the 538 votes to form an electoral college. If voters vote based on their states’ certified results, they will get 306 votes for Joe Biden and 232 votes for Donald Trump, thus officially handing over the presidency to Mr Biden. ‘I’m a Voter in New York’ The most popular voter this year was Hillary Clinton. The former Secretary of State and First Lady lost to Mr Trump in the 2016 presidential election, but is getting his last laugh as a voter this year from his adopted state of New York. In announcing that she is a voter, Ms Clinton said she would be very excited to vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the next president and vice president, respectively. Ms. Clinton has previously called for the abolition of the Electoral College, which should instead elect presidents by popular vote. In 2016, he was defeated in the Electoral College, despite receiving nearly three million more votes than Mr Trump. ‘It’s a Real Change’ Copyright Gary Benebecker Gary Benebecker is a father of three, a small business leader and a proud Democrat. He will be one of 10 voters in the state of Wisconsin who cast his or her election college votes for Mr Biden and Ms Harris. Mr. Benebecker has been running for Congress since 2016 as one of the state’s elected Democratic National Committee representatives since 2017, so he is a familiar face in Wisconsin party politics. “In 2016, I was a voter for Hillary Clinton, but never got the chance to cast my ballot for America’s first female president,” Benebecker said. “At the very least, I can cast my ballot for Joe Biden, who is going to restore some unity of civilization and morality.” She will be one of two black voters in her state, delighted by Vice President Harris’ expectation: “As far as people of color are concerned, we do not want to be seen as enemies. With our first black female vice president, we have someone who can see us as equal and human.” “This is a very honorable position” Image copyright Nervous Nervous Nervous is a mother of five, a social activist and a staunch Republican. He will be one of 38 voters in the state of Texas to cast his or her election college vote for President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. In addition to being a Republican official in Texas, Nervous has been actively involved in various levels of community, from his school district health advisory board to his city’s ethical review commission. He was nominated as a voter by his brother-in-law, a former local elected official, and was elected at the state party convention earlier this year. “This is a very colossal position,” Nervas said, adding, “I am very grateful that the people of my congressional district honored me with their votes.” Two Texans were among the seven most disenfranchised voters in the 2016 election, voting for former presidential candidates John Kasich and Ron Paul. Nervas says his support for President Trump is very strong: “I wanted to make sure our congressional district was well represented. We have a loyal voter to vote for President Donald J. Trump. I know that person will be me.”
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