Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-11-23

alton over what would happen
en- the prospects for an ulti-
mate Kennedy johnson ver-
dict.
Ten States which landed in
the Nixon column on Novem-
Der 8, have Democratic major
tiles in their House delega-
lions. These are Alaska. Calf
fornia, Florida. Hawaii. Idaho,
Kentucky. Oklahoma, Ten
nessee, Utah and Virginia. Pre-
sumably, most of these would
go to Senators Kennedy and
johnson in q House election.
On the other hand. five of
/ the States they carried on No
vember 8 have Republican ma
jorities in their House delega-
lions. These are Michigan.
Minnesota, New Jersey. Penn
sylvania and Wisconsin. 1t is
presumed these would go to
Mr.. Nixon.
Since each State would have
only one vote, Senator Kennedy
undoubtedly would gain from
the switches. even though he
might not get several of the
Southern States which voted
for Mr.. Nixon originally.
The four States which have
evenly divided delegations in
the House all went for Mr.. Nix
on on November s. They are
Arizona, Colorado. Montana
and Oregon. Their votes could
be nullifleo in a House elec-
ton.
Decide on December 10
If the Southerners are 60
ing to try to stage a bolt it
would come on December 10,
when the electors meet in
each State to write down and
mail to Washington their
selections for President and
Vice President.
After losing California,
Senator Kennedy was left
with 800 electoral votes. not
! counting eight unpledged cleo
tors in Mississippi and six
unpledged out Of II in Ala
bama.
The Louisiana and Missis-
sippi leaders. who are most
upset about the current New
Orleans school controversy
would have to line up 80 elec-
tors, other than the IA al
ready unpledged in Mississip-
pi and Alabama, to deprive
Senator Kennedy of the 269
required for election in the
electoral college.
Georgia's IL electors are
technically unpledged, al
though they have been count
ed in the Kennedy column
since election day on the basis
of reports they had promised
to go along with State leaders
for the party ticket.
Louisiana's 10 electoral
votes also have been counted
lin the Kennedy total of 800,
and we're believed to be safely
I anchored there until the school
indignation battle broke out
On New Orleans. Presumably,
any attempt to throw the cleo
ton into the House would iri-
volve an effort to line up cleo
tors in Louisiana. Georgia,
| Alabama and Arkansas to join
the unpledged group.
The Associated Press reported
that in a poll this week seven
of Louisiana'S 10 electors said
they felt morally obligated to
vote for Senator Kennedy, al
though there is no legal ebliga-
ton to do so. One declined to
comment, and two could not be
reached.
Bargaining Power
Unpledged electors could vote
for some Southern leader as a
third choice for President, since
the Constitution states that
the House must make its choice
from the three receiving the
highest numbers of electoral
votes. But the only advantage
to be gained by throwing the
election into the House would
be to give the Southerners some
bargaining power in the final
selection.
A move already is under way
to have the new Congress re-
vamp the electoral college sys-
tenn, and if the 1860 election
should go to the House it I'M
doubtedly would give new i'm
petus to this drive for a change
in the Constitution.
The House twice was called
on to elect a President in the
early days of the republic. Once
was when Thomas Jefferson
was elected over Aaron Burr
in 1901, and in 1925, when John
Quincy Adams was elected.