On Saturday, April 2, the Montana House passed SB 194 unanimously. It provides that parties and independent presidential campaigns must submit the names of two presidential elector candidates for each seat that the state is entitled to. Half the names would be designated presidential elector candidates, and the other names would be designated alternate presidential elector candidates. If the slate were elected, and one of the electors voted differently than expected, that elector would be deemed to have resigned and the alternate would fill the seat. Thanks to Mike Fellows for this news.
The Montana legislature still hasn’t passed the Secretary of State’s omnibus election law bill, and the legislature will only be in session for three more weeks. The omnibus bill makes no changes to ballot access, although it does have a provision saying a presidential candidate may withdraw from the general election ballot. This provision was included because the Montana Constitution Party nominated Ron Paul for President in 2008, against his will. Paul had no means to remove his name from the ballot. He polled 2.17% of the vote in November 2008 in Montana, the highest percentage that any minor party or independent presidential candidate polled in any state that year.
Those Montana elector would still have to file a loyalty oath so instead of just one form to certify the presidential candidate, you would need 7 or 8 forms depending on how the SOS designs the form. This legislation wasn’t needed but I think most legislators thought it wouldn’t do any harm. But some people including the chair of one committee where the bill was heard was a little confused on the House floor about SB 194. On the Paul issue I think the SOS could have honored his request. The MT SOS has latitude in determining when those Elector forms are to be submitted. Plus ballots had not been printed at that time.
How many of the Prez Electors at each gerrymander Prez election are really and truly party hack robots ???
Abolish the timebomb Electoral College.
PBS is running the Civil War series again – 2011-1861 = 150 years.
One result of the 1860 timebomb election in the Electoral College — about 620,000 DEAD Americans on both sides with LOTS more mentally/ physically injured for life.
What percentage of the voters in the 1860 election survived to see the end of the Civil War — regardless of the many MORON generals and BAD medical care — i.e. more camp disease deaths than battlefield deaths ???
The Montana CP is off the ballot, so they wouldn’t be able to nominate Ron Paul against his wishes again in the first place.