‘On the line’
Oakland County’s presidential electors playing critical role in this year’s election
Either Meshawn Maddock or Susan Nichols will have a direct say in determining who will be elected the next president of The United States.
Maddock and Nichols are two of Michigan’s 32 presidential electors, the group of people that ultimately cast the official ballots for president and vice president.
In Michigan, the state’s Republican and Democratic parties each nominate 16 elec tor s, one for each of the state’s 14 Congressional districts as well as two atlarge electors, one for each U.S. senator. These are people who are generally active, loyal, and consistent party members.
To be eligible, Michiganders must have been a U.S. citizen for at least 10 years as well as a resident and registered voter in the congressional district they seek to represent. For those seeking to become anat-large elector representing the entire state, Michiganders must have been a U.S. citizen, state resident, and registered voter for at least one year prior to Election Day. Michigan state senators and representatives cannot be appointed electors.
Although Nichols is honored to be one of the 538 people Electoral College members who will cast a vote for the next president, she told The Oakland Press that she agrees with “the majority of Americans who believe the candidate with the most votes should be declared the winner.”
“There is a loss of confidence in our democracy when a candidate, who gets nearly three million fewer votes, is declared the winner,” said Nichols. “Winning in the Electoral College has become a game of strategy. Americans don’t want game playing. They want their elected representatives to work together to improve their lives.”
In 2016, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton received more total votes (65,853,625 votes to then Republican nominee Donald Trump’s 62,985,106 votes), but only collected 232 Electoral College votes, which was 38 shy of the 270 needed to secure the presidency. Trump received 306 Electoral College votes, including all 16 in Michigan.
Nichols added that many Democratic voters “sat home” in 2016, choosing not to vote. She believes that will not happen in 2020, add
ing that Americansdemand that their voices be heard because they’re “tired of the chaos, dishonesty, and division that has been created and bolstered by Trump and the threat posed to our democracy.”
“Democrats and Republicans, alike, know that our democracy is on the line and they will not tolerate another four years of chaos, dishonesty and division,” she said. “I am optimistic that when all the votes are counted, our nation will have elected Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President.”
Five of the state’s presidential electors live in Oakland County including Republican Party electors Mari-Ann Henry, a Lake Orion resident (8th District); Maddock, a Milford resident (At-Large); MarianSheridan, aWest Bloomfield resident (11th District); and Democratic Party electors Walter C. Herzig III, a Ferndale resident (9th District); and Nichols, a Northville resident (11thDistrict).
According to The Atlantic, the Trump Campaign has allegedly asked GOP leaders in battleground states to circumvent the state’s popular vote and select their own electors to cast votes in the Electoral
College.
Tracy Wimmer, spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s Office, said Michigan law is very clear that electorsmust cast their vote for whoeverwins the state’s popular vote. In Michigan, an elector who fails to vote as required is considered to have resigned and a replacement is appointed.
“To not vote for the winner of the state would be breaking the law,” she said. “Anyone who deviates is replaced as an elector. There is no concern in Michigan that any candidate would be able to thwart the will of the voters through some sort of electoral college vote manipulation scenario.”
Currently, all states select electors through a popular vote (although how that vote works can differ), but that was not always the case throughout American history. In many states, the state legislature selected electors, a practice which was common until themid1800s.
Maddock dismissed the report calling it “left wing trash journalism.” She views her role as an elector as “important,” especially in battleground state like Michigan that could end up propelling either candidate into TheWhite House.
“Michigan is a ‘swing state’ and an important one for any presidential candidate to win,” she said. “I think Michigan has many common sense voters who aren’t partisans and can support a great politician even if they aren’t from their party, which is why I think they’ll choose Donald Trump again.”
Unlike in 2016, Maddock believes Trump will win the Electoral College and receive the majority of actual votes cast.
“When I think of my responsibility I think of the courage demonstrated by veterans over centuries to preserve our freedoms, conquer our foes, and give us a government where the people can rule themselves,” she said. “An elector is the person responsible tomake sure our Republic survives the pandemic of mental illness we call progressivism.”
Electoral College in 2020 presidential election
• Spring and Summer 2020: The political parties in each state nominate their electors.
• A party’s presidential electors are generally loyal or consistent party members.
• Sept. 24, 2020 through Nov. 3, 2020: Voters cast ballots for a presidential candidate and ultimately select which group of presidential electors will cast ballots for president and vice president. If a majority of voters in a state vote for the Republican candidate for president, the Republican slate of electors is elected. If a majority vote for the Democratic candidate, the Democratic slate of electors is chosen.
• Dec. 8, 2020: Deadline for resolving election disputes. All state recounts and court contests over presidential election results must be completed by this date
• Dec. 14, 2020: Meeting of the electors. The electors meet in each state and cast their ballots for president and vice president. Each elector votes on his or her own ballot and signs it.
• Copies of these ballots are immediately transmitted to various people including the vice president (this is the copy that will be officially counted later), the state’s secretary of state, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the presiding judge in the district where the electors meet
• Dec. 23, 2020: Deadline for receipt of ballots. The electors’ ballots from all states must be received by the president of the Senate by this date. There is no penalty for missing this deadline.
• Jan. 6, 2021: Counting of the electoral ballots. The U.S. Congress meets in joint session to count the electoral votes.
• Jan. 20, 2021: Inauguration Day.
• The president-elect becomes the president of the United States.
Awarding electoral votes
In 48 states and the District of Columbia, when a candidate for president wins a state’s popular vote, that party’s slate of electors will be the ones to cast the vote for president on Dec. 14.
For example, Michigan has 16 electoral votes. If President Trump wins the state’s popular vote on Nov. 3, the 16 electors nominated by the state’s Republican Party would be selected to cast votes for president in December.
Maine and Nebraska are the only states that do not use a winner-take-all system. Instead, in these two states, one electoral vote is awarded to the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote in each congressional district, and the remaining two electoral votes are awarded to the candidates receiving the most votes statewide.
A total of 31 states, including Michigan, have passed laws that require their electors to vote as pledged.
These laws may either impose a fine on an elector who fails to vote according to the statewide or district popular vote, or may disqualify an elector who violates his or her pledge and provide a replacement elector. In July 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it’s legal and constitutional for states to enact this type of law.