December 17, 2024

Déjà Vu All Over Again

To follow up on my wall-to-wall election coverage and occasional dives into civics education from the summer and fall, I thought it prudent to mention that today is technically the day the next president is elected. That is, this is the day that at every state capitol across the country, the chosen presidential electors will gather to cast their electoral votes, which formalizes the winner of November’s presidential contest. This is almost purely ceremonial, with no surprises expected.

How the Sausage Is Made

According to the Constitution’s 12th Amendment, when Americans cast their ballots on Election Day, they’re technically voting for a slate of electors committed to supporting their party’s choice for president and vice president. Those slates are chosen by the political parties ahead of the general election. Once the election results are certified, then the 538 electors are scheduled to meet — usually on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December — and they officially cast their ballots for president. (That odd number of electors, by the way, is equal to the total count of all state electoral votes, which are made up of the number of representatives and senators each state has, so at least 3 for every state.)

Keeping the Faith

There have been occasions where electors choose to not vote for who they’re supposed to. These are known as “faithless electors”, and there have been 165 of these “deviant” votes cast since the founding of the Electoral College; 90 for president and 75 for vice president. How states handle faithless electors varies widely, with some levying fines, but mostly contrary votes are voided and the respective electors are then replaced with ones who tow the party line.

What Comes Next?

Once today’s results are signed and certified, they are sent — ironically enough — to Vice President Kamala Harris, as she also serves as the president of the Senate. The vote certificates must be received by the fourth Wednesday in December, which is Christmas Day this year, and then the Senate Archivist then sends them on to Congress. Then on January 6 (yes, indeed), during a joint session of Congress, the votes are ceremonially counted, and the VP announces the winner of the election.