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Multiple Choice

What is a faithless elector?

In the Electoral College, electors are chosen to vote for a specific candidate, as pledged by their party and state results. A faithless elector is someone who does not vote for that pledged candidate and instead casts a ballot for a different person (or abstains). The defining idea is breaking the commitment to the candidate they were pledged to vote for, even if they were chosen by the state to support that candidate. This distinguishes faithless electors from those who vote as pledged, abstain for a reason unrelated to a different candidate, or are replaced for other procedural reasons.

In the Electoral College, electors are chosen to vote for a specific candidate, as pledged by their party and state results. A faithless elector is someone who does not vote for that pledged candidate and instead casts a ballot for a different person (or abstains). The defining idea is breaking the commitment to the candidate they were pledged to vote for, even if they were chosen by the state to support that candidate. This distinguishes faithless electors from those who vote as pledged, abstain for a reason unrelated to a different candidate, or are replaced for other procedural reasons.