Texas Representative Valoree Swanson (R-Spring) has introduced HB 4128. It would require political parties, and independent presidential candidates, to submit twice as many candidates for presidential elector as are assigned to Texas. Half would be designated as elector candidates, and the other half as alternate elector candidates. The bill also says that a week before the electors meet, each elector must sign an oath promising to vote for the presidential candidate who received the highest number of popular votes in Texas. If any elector then votes for someone else, he or she is deemed to have resigned and to be replaced by one of the alternate electors.
The bill has a hearing in the House Elections Committee on April 29, Monday.
What if an alternate is also *disobedient* ???
He/she gets spanked in public ???
This type of law, if held to be constitutional, may present a serious problem for the NPV (National Popular Vote) movement: any state that has a law that says electors must vote for the popular vote winner in that state would need to repeal that law before (or as part of) passing the NPV proposal into law.
Separately, I believe NPV faces another hurdle: the Constitution explicitly outlaws compacts among states (unless approved by Congress?). I need to look up the exact wording. Richard: your opinion?
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Congress does not need to approve all compacts between states, and there have been literally thousands of inter-state compacts that were not approved by Congress. This is covered in the National Popular Vote Plan’s huge book (over 1,000 pages) about the plan.
Demo Rep, good question.
I-10-3
No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.
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Choosing a USA Prez AIN’T a very small matter.
The RED communist NPV scheme/*fix* — also a blatant attempt to subvert/overthrow 14-1 and 14-2 —
having results OUTSIDE of a State determine results INSIDE a State.
How many RED communist States in the USA will be having FOREIGN RED communists voting for USA Prez/VP ???
Another minor matter (not worthy of the attention of the USA Congress and SCOTUS) – in choosing a USA Prez/VP ???
After the Minnesota elector voted for John Edwards for both offices in 2004, a law was devised that would in theory cover all contingencies.
An elector is not deemed to have cast his vote when he fills his ballot, but only after the SOS sees whether he has written the correct name in. If an elector fails to mark his ballot in the expected way, he has violated his oath of office, and vacated his position.
If an elector does not appear, or refuses to mark his ballot correctly, or fails to do so, his alternate takes his position. If the alternate is not available, one of the other alternates takes his place (chosen by lotl. If the alernate pool is exhausted, the remaining electors choose a bystander. If there are no electors left, then the SOS chooses someone.
The scheme was devised by Rube Goldberg & Associates.
Election laws must cover ALL the IFS – or the arbitrary LAWLESS HACKS take over.