What if 538 people you’ve never met could decide the president—ignoring millions of votes? Meet the ‘faithless electors,’ the ultimate election wildcards. Could a few rogue votes flip everything? Watch to find out how they just might.
#FaithlessElectors #ElectoralCollege #Election2024 #USPolitics #YourVoteMatters #DemocracyInAction #VotePower #ElectionExplained #PoliticalWildcards
#FaithlessElectors #ElectoralCollege #Election2024 #USPolitics #YourVoteMatters #DemocracyInAction #VotePower #ElectionExplained #PoliticalWildcards
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00:00Picture this. You cast your vote for U.S. president, but in reality it's 538 people you've never met, called electors, who actually decide who will be the president.
00:11And if they want, they can completely ignore your vote and everyone else's too.
00:16Such a person would be known as a faithless elector. And over the years, over 150 of them have gone rogue.
00:23Like in 2016, when seven electors broke ranks and voted for someone else.
00:28So how does it happen? In nearly every state, all of the electoral votes go to the candidate who wins the popular vote there, no matter how close.
00:36But if an elector doesn't like the choice, they can flip their vote.
00:40Some states have laws to punish faithless electors, and the Supreme Court upheld those laws in 2020.
00:47But not every state has these rules, meaning it's not a guarantee.
00:52In a tight race, even a few faithless electors could shift the outcome, or push the final decision to Congress.
00:59So will faithless electors stick to the rules this time? Or could they shake up the entire election?