could * do this?

[dfong63]

flash back to election 2000. while the outcome was still in doubt, repubs in the FL legislature had repeatedly threatened to ignore the popular vote and simply choose Bush electors as they are apparently allowed to do by law. if the popular vote had gone against Bush, i do believe they would have carried out their threat.

so what's to stop them from doing it for real in 2004, in FL or any other state whose legislature is dominated by repubs?

could * pull this off? why not? does anyone really think he'd have any scruples about trying?

what would/could Kerry do in this situation?

[mstrsplinter326]

1. Supreme Court to nation:

You didn't vote him in, so you can't vote him out.

That's my prediction

[CalebHayes]

2. Yeah and he could also name Kerry an enemy combatant.

[grytpype]

3. Nothing to stop them.

But if it's clear Bush is going to lose, I don't the the Repugs having the balls to do something like that.

[dfong63]

6. it doesn't take balls to steal an election

two words: katherine harris

[PeanutOne]

14. ...don't be so sure about that.

I'm not volunteering to take a look, but she might have a pair.

They'll do what it takes to hold on to power.

[DieboldMustDie]

4. As strange as it may seem...

We the People of the United States do not have a constitutional right to vote for president -- even in the weird-ass round about way we do so via the electoral college. I'd like to think they wouldn't dare, but they've been so brazen these past 3½ years I'm not so sure.   What could Kerry do then?   That's tough, Bush controls the military, and has gone to great lengths to make sure that people loyal to him are in all the top positions.

[BBradley]

8. I like to think the 9th amendment guarantees a right to vote

Obviously the majority of the supreme court disagrees...

[DieboldMustDie]

10. Article II. Section 1 states:

"The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice-President chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows:

Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress..."

So it appears that how electors are appointed to the electoral college by the states is simply a matter of statutory law.   Now this is a matter in need of a constitutional amendment. :mad:

[MajorFlaw]

5. This has happened before . . .

Check out the first contest between J.Q. Adams and Andrew Jackson.

[ex_jew]

7. I like to think the Republicans realize how "lucky" they were to

"win" the last election and they're going to be good little citizens this time. And if they don't, I will feel perfectly justified in killing anyone who participates in subverting our republic. And I won't be alone.

[FloridaPat]

9. Being in Florida I followed that little illegal detail as much as I

could from Iowa. Not much else to do in Iowa in the winter. Anyway, the one house did vote for new delegates, but when the Supreme Court declated Bush the winner, they went with the original delegates. Had they voted for new delegates, both would have showed up at the electorial college election and the fight would have continued there. It was also illegal, since there was no problem with the general election, but that was never followed through. Since the republicans own Florida, they did what ever they wanted to do.

And as for every vote counting, people have not been given the right to vote in the Constitution. Just the states get to vote for the president. They have chosen to do that through allowing their respective citizens to vote for the delegates. That is one big problem about getting rid of the electorial college - a voting procedure will have to be put in the Constitution.

[DieboldMustDie]

11. We the People...

could be given the right to vote for President without eliminating the electoral college.   Not that I wouldn't mind getting rid of it, it's just that any 13 states can block an amendment, and there are at least that many small states that benefit from the current system.   Popular election of electors (sorry about that phrasing) however, would, I think, be favored overwhelmingly.   I'm sure there are very few Americans who have any idea that they don't have a right to vote for President.

[dfong63]

12. so for now, we're basically relying on the repubs' sense of fair play

... and decency?????

[truthspeaker]

13. Yet another reason the Electoral College needs to be scrapped

I am continually astounded by how many Americans do not realize the president is not elected by direct popular vote.