The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-08-07
AND NOW TO ELECT THE
PRESIDENT

N@@O
zens of the United States are headed
for the polls to elect president
chief executive who will direct the
fortunes of the nation for four years.
Sometimes, when the incumbent has
been a popular president the voters
term. This has happened Ii times
in the polling history of the nation.
On the other hand, nine incumbents
who were candidates to succeed
themselves were defeated. Two
others were elected to succeed them
selves after first rising to the presi-
dency from the vice presidency on
the death of a president. Incident
ally, none have been elected to a
third term-not because of specific
law but because of precedent estab-
lished by George Washington, the
first president
There are two distinct steps to the
White House-nominatio and cleo
ton. Nomination of candidates has
already been accomplished by the
two predominant parties, the Demo-
cratic and Republican, as well as the
Socialist, Union (more commonly
known as the Third Party, Prohibit
ton and Communist. The airwaves
are already filled with oratory as
part of the next and final step
election.
AS matter of fact, the people do
not vote for the president and vice
president but for ELECTORS" who
meet in the various states and usual
ly cast the electoral vote for the
states as a unit. Each state is en-
titled to as many electoral votes as
that state has members of Congress.
But no member of the House or
Senate may be an elector
Electors are selected by different
methods and are often little known
to the public. The most frequently
used mehod of selection is to name
Them at state conventions. In one
or two others the presidential -candi-
dates name their own slate of cleo
tors. But since the electors are
named for the state and not by dis
tricts the party getting plurality
of votes usually gets all the electoral
votes of that state hence the results
of an election become known in a
few hours after the polls close un-
less the voting is unusually close.
However, the electoral vote of
state is occasionally split since the
electors are voted for individually in
stead of a unit. For instance, in
1880 Californians elected only five
of the six Democratic electors; in
1904 one Republican and six Demo-
cratic electors were elected in Mary
land, and in 1916 West Virginia
saw w 1IoOAA OhO anu 6hCo ClSAt VI
the nine electoral votes.
Despite optimistic claims by chair
men of both major parties the gen
eral opinion of political observers is
that the final result may be close.
Taking cognizance of this fact, party
leaders have warned state organiza-
lions to be unusually vigilant in Sc
lection of 1896 electors. Legally, an
elector may vote for any candidate
he wishes although morally bound to
vote for the candidate of the party
he represents. For more than a CEN
fury no elector has cast his ballot in
opposition to his party.
On the first Monday after the sec
ond Wednesday in December the
electors meet at places designated by
the legislatures of their respective
states and cast their individual votes
for president and vice president.
After this is done the electoral col
lege has no further legal existence.
Their ballots are certified and trans
mitted to the President of the
Senate. On the sixth day of Janu-
airy Congress meets in a joint session
at which time the President of the
Senate opens the ballots of the cleo
toral college which are then publicly
counted. Those candidates who have
received the highest number of votes
are declared elected-that is, quot
ing from the Constitution, 'if such
number be a majority of the whole
number of electors"
But what happens if no candidate
has a majority of the electoral vote?
Quoting further from the 18th
Amendment we find that it is pro-