Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1876-11-22
THE ELECT0RAL VoTE.

!
The extreme doubt in which the re,
turns rel lived on Saturday lett the ro-
suit Of the Presidential election has
left the counting OF the electoral vote in
February next likely to be an event OF
very great interest and importance,
On more than one occasion the defects
of the machinery fordetermining which
of two or more candidates has been
legally elected TO the Presidency have
been strikingly shown, and attempts
have been made to remedy them but
while none of these efforts have met
with success, il has been fortunate that
on no occasion which has ever arisen
has the actual result been affected by
the vote of any State which forwarded
its vote, and the validity Of whose re-
turns has been questioned, Now il
seems possible that such contingency
may arise
Noprovision has ever been madeior
settling dispute of this kind. Section
l, Article II, of tho Constitution directs
that "cach State shall appoint in such
manner as the Legislature thereof may
direct number OF electors equal to
the whole number Of electors equal to
the whole number of Senators and
Representatives to which the State may
be entitled in the Congress but no
Senator or Representative or person
holding an Office of trust or profit un-
der the United States, shall beappoint-
ed an elector.'
The twelfth amendment Of the con-
stitution provides that the electors
meet in their respective States and
vote for President and Vice President,
one of whom shall not be inhabitant
of the same State with themselves. 2
j. And they shall make distinct
lists Of all persons voted for as Prcsi-
dent, and all persons voted for as Vice
President, ard OF the number for each,
which lists they shall sign and certify,
and transmit sealed to the scat of the
government Of the United States d.
rectcd to the President of the Senate.
The President Of the Senate shall, in
the presence OF the Senate and the
House of Representatives, open all the
certificates, and the votes shall then
be counted. The person having the
greatest number of votes for President
shall be the President, il such number
be majority of the whole number of
electors appointed" &c.
By acts OF 1892 and loi, as adopted
in the revised statutes of the United
States, the following regulations are
made
Section 1875. The electors for each
State shall meet and give their votes
on the first Wednesday in December
in the year in which they are appoint
ed at such place in each State as the
Legislature Of such State shall direct.
Section 1876. 1t shall be the duty OF
the Executive of each State to cause
three lists of the names Of the electors
of such State to be made and certified,
aud to be delivered to electors on or
before the day on which they are re-
quircd by the preceding section, to
meet.
Section 1877. Tho electors shall vote
for President and Vice President, re-
spectivcly, in The manner directed by
the Constitution.
Section 1873. Tho electors shall
make and sign three certificates Of all
the votes given by them, each of which
certificates shall contain two distinct
lists one of the votes for President and
the other of the votes for Vice Presi-
dent, and shall annex the electors
which shall have been furnished to
them by direction Of the executive of
the State.
Section l30 The electors shall seal
up the certificates so made by them,
and certify upon each that the lists Of
all the votes of such State given for
President, and Of oil the votes given
for Vice President, are contained
therein.
Section 40. The electors shall dis
pose of the certificates thus made by
them in the following manner:
"One. They shall, by writing under
their hands, or under the hands of q
majority of them, appoint person to
take charge of and deliver to the
President OF the Senate, at the scat of
Government, before the first Wedncs-
day in January then next ensuing, one
Of the certificates.
1.-TWO. They shall forthwith for
ward, by the postofficc, to the Presi-
dent of the Senate, at the scat of Gov
ernment, one other Of the certificates.
"Thrcc. They shall forthwith cause
other of the certificates TO be delivered
to the judge of that district in which
the electors shall assemble"
Section 142. Congress shall be in
session on the second Wednesday in
February succeeding every meeting of
the electors, and the certificates, or so
many Of them as have been received,
shall then be opened, the votes counted,
and the persons TO Gil tho Office Of
President and Vice President ascertain
cd and declared agreeably TO the Con
stitution.
On several occasions prior to 1869
objections had been made to receiving
the votes of certain States on account
of alleged irregularities, but no such
vote was ever formally rejected. In