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1 1 (September 03, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdbqn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: FF.$ September 3, 2020 The Electoral College: A 2020 Presidential Election Timeline During the course of a presidential election year, the election process for the President and Vice President goes forward within a familiar timeline of events. At the same time these events are taking place, a related series of procedures that governs the actions of the electoral college progresses on a parallel track. This report focuses on the electoral college timeline for the 2020 presidential election. For additional information on the electoral college in today's presidential election process, see CRS Report RL32611, The Electoral College: How It Works in Contemporary Presidential Elections, by Thomas H. Neale. In a presidential election year, campaigns for the nation's highest offices include a number of sequential processes and events that take place over a period that may begin years before election day. Broadly defined, these include the informal campaign of candidate declarations, fundraising, organizing, and intraparty debates (various start times through February of the election year); the formal nomination campaign, in which candidates contest nominating caucuses and primaries (February-July); the national party conventions, where the presidential and vice presidential candidates are nominated (July-August); the general election campaign (August-November), including presidential and vice presidential debates (September- October); and general election day, November 3, 2020. During the election campaign, a series of events related to the electoral college's operations proceeds on a parallel timeline, which overlaps both the nomination and general election timelines. It includes nomination of candidates for the office of elector; choice of the electors by the voters on general election day; ascertainment of the results in the states; meetings and votes by electors in their respective states; and reporting the results as directed by law. It culminates with the joint session of Congress at which the electoral votes are counted and the President and Vice President are declared to be elected. The electoral college timeline is governed by the U.S. Code at 3 U.S.C. §§1-18, the Twelfth and Twentieth Amendments to the Constitution, and state laws and political party rules. M-Au ks 2k21 Qnias Fot State political party organizations and other groups on the general election ballot, including minor parties and independent candidates, nominate a ticket (or slate) of candidates for the office of elector for President and Vice President in each state The number of elector-candidates nominated by each party is equal to the state's number of electoral votes. Most elector-candidates are nominated by their state party central committees or at a state party convention. Elector-candidates may not be U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, or anyone holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States. In practice, nominees tend to be a mixture of state and local elected officials, party activists, local and state celebrities, and ordinary citizens. k~kwmdh k t. for trm Peo ,s Ctc icrs. The role of presidential electors has been widely debated. Some observers claim they are free agents, while others maintain they must vote for the candidates to whom they are pledged, although this is not required by the Constitution. From time to time, some of these faithless electors have voted against their party's nominees, although they have never influenced a presidential election outcome. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws or party regulations in place that require electors to vote for the people's choice in their state; in some states faithless electors may be replaced or may be subject to various penalties. 6 ~ , 20}20: Su,pkrenrm,, cc,,,r,,, Ru i.,k,,g on . Faik:',-,s The constitutionality of state measures to prohibit or penalize faithless electors has been debated for many years. On July 6, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled in Chiafolo v. Washington that state laws penalizing or replacing faithless electors are constitutionally valid. For further information and a legal analysis, see CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10515, Supreme Court Clarifies Rules for Electoral College: States May Restrict Faithless Electors, which explains the Court's decision and reviews its broader implications. 'Ncvk m ,,b, r t ( ,,': Et2c020,. Day General election day for electors for the President and Vice President is set by law (3 U.S.C. §1) as the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in presidential election years. Voters cast a single vote for a joint ticket of their preferred candidates for President and Vice President. When they do so, they are actually voting for the electors committed to support those candidates. Nomd ermg Cer 2020 .~Csonfhq Following election day, the states are to count and eventually certify the vote according to their respective statutory and procedural requirements. When the states have completed the vote count and ascertained the official results, the U.S. Code (3 U.S.C. §6) requires the state p\w -- , gnom goo mppm qq\ a , q 'S I 11LIANJILiN,

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