Persuading Electors to Defect
The race in the Electoral College is very tight. In this scenario, Florida's votes go to neither candidate, so Gore probably leads in the Electoral College by 267-246 (if he wins Oregon) or 260-253 (if Bush wins Oregon). Without Florida's votes, 257 are required to win the Electoral College.
Getting members of the Electoral College to switch sides is not easy work. First of all, about half the states have laws that require electors to vote for the winner in that state. (In effect, those rules change electors from the deliberative individuals the Constitution's framers wanted, into empty vessels for delivering the will of the people.)
Second, it will take many defectors for Bush to reach 257.
Third, electors are chosen because they are loyal to their party. They are not easily swayed.
Still, Republican operatives start phoning Gore's electors, trying to find just enough to switch sides. "Look, what happened in Florida was a disgrace," they might say. "Those Electoral College votes should have gone to Bush, but the Gore campaign has disenfranchised millions of Floridians. If you defect, you'll be giving them back their voices!"
| Are enough electors persuaded to switch from Gore to Bush? |
(1) NO. If you think most electors will hang tight, click here to continue.
(2) YES. If you think enough electors can be persuaded to switch allegiances, click here to continue.