CARD 19 - Electoral College
Who selects the Electors?
The process for selecting electors varies throughout the United States. In general, the political parties nominate candidates at party conventions. The voters in each state choose the electors from the party of the candidate they want to win. The electors' names sometimes appear on the ballot below the name of the candidates running for President.
For the 2000 Presidential Election:
November 7, 2000 - The voters in each State choose electors to serve in the Electoral College.
December 18, 2000 - The electors in each State meet to select the President and Vice President of the United States.
December 27, 2000 - The President of the Senate, the Archivist of the United States, and other designated Federal and State officials must have the electoral votes in hand.
January 6, 2001 - The Congress meets in joint session to count the electoral votes.
January 20, 2001 - The new President is inaugerated.
To change the Electoral College process it would be necessary to pass a Constitutional amendment. Many different proposals to alter the presidential election process have been proposed, but none have been passed by Congress and sent to the States for ratification.
