The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-10-31
COLLEGE OF
ELECTORS HAS
MUCH ROUTINE
SHOWN HOW MEMBERS OF
ORGANIZATION OPERATE
IN FoRMALITIES IN cHOoS:
ING CHIEF EXECUTIVE
By CHARLES NORMAN
(By AssOcIaIed r-ress)

By CHARLES NORMAN
(By AssOeIaIed f-ressD
NEW YORK, Oct. 3l.-The col.
lege of electors doesn't have a
fcctball team, but it's a famou.
Institution.
That's because when the
sovereign people of the United
States 60 to the polls to elect !
president, they only elect the
electors who elect the president.
The electors themselves can't do
anything about it until they've
been notified of their election by
the secretaries of state of their re-
spective states.
It's all very complicated, par
ticularly article XII of the consti-
tuition which provided this method
of choosing the chief executive,
but il works out pretty smoothly,
and a good time is had by all, par
tieularly the electors. AS for the
sovereign people, practically every
body in the United States will
know the night of November 3 who
has been elected, although it won't
be official until the college cleo
tors say so. Aad it won't talk"
until the first Monday after the
second WedySsday in December.
Textp<oks, gdsdebooks, the con-
, sits Con itself failed to make the
s.s.s.stions of antelecsioils eieafs st-
was therefore necessary to track
one down. This has been done.
The result makes it plain that the
life of an elector is not an un-
happy one.
Above Party
Honored above his fellow party
members, he is notified by the
state committee that he has been
appointed an elector. He there
upon becomes a member of per-
haps the most exclusive college en-
rollment in the country, if not the
world. The college of electors
consists of 531 men and women,
or equal the number of senators
and representatives. In some
states the electors names go on
the ballot.
Comes election day. When the
votes have been tabulated, the
secretary of state of his state no.
titles the elector of his election a
second communication tells him
what to do about it. He can
hardly wait, but wait he does, for
the forms must be reserved 60"
Heads For State Capital ,s'ti
On the first Monday after the
second Wednesday in December he
says goodbye to kith' and kin. He
takes a train to the state capital
He meets his fellow electors,
strikes up friendships. All pose
for pictures. There is > luncheon.
en- masse. The governor may re-
ceive them as honored guests.
The amenities observed, the
electors hold an organization meet
ing, choose a chairman and are
called to order. Each elector is
given a ballot.
Now comes the most momentous
moment in the career of an cleo
tor.
One of them puts the President
in nomination. AS each man casts
his vote he signs the rolls. (Some-
times engraved ballots are kept as
souvenirs.)
Once more there is nomination
for the vice president. Again the
electors cast their ballots and sign
the roll.
Thereupon all receive checks for
their expenses from the secretary
of state. They shake hands all
around and "drop in to see me
some time" is heard, or perhaps
"Pm catching the AIS; can you
make it,"
State Does Rest
The rest of the job devolves
upon the secretary of state who
sends the certified ballots to the
secretary of state at Washington
for transmission to the two houses
of congress in their joint session
There the ballots are tabulated by
states.