Supreme Court’s decision in “faithless electors” cases is a relief

Issue One Executive Director Meredith McGehee issued the following statement in the wake of the news that the U.S. Supreme Court today unanimously affirmed that states can bind the votes of their Electoral College electors:

“At a time when faith in government institutions is already dangerously low, it is a relief that the Supreme Court has affirmed that states can impose penalties on electors who cast ballots in the Electoral College that violate state law and contradict the votes of the people they represent. A ruling in the opposite direction would have given deep-pocketed special interests the green light to openly bribe the individuals who vote in the Electoral College and would have ushered in electoral mischief at the highest levels.”

Background:

Earlier this year, Issue One joined the Campaign Legal Center in filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court that argued states may require their presidential electors to vote for the winner of their state’s popular vote. The brief also illustrated how federal and state laws are not currently sufficient to ensure the transparency and legitimacy of the Electoral College voting process if electors became “unbound.”