TIME NOW TO SPEAK WITH OUR WATE
6 ON YOUR SIDE LEGAL
ANALYST GREG ISAACS. THANK YOU
FOR BEING HERE. LORI, IT'S GREAT
TO
BE HERE. OKAY, HELP US
UNDERSTAND THIS, ANOTHER SUPREME
COURT RULING. THIS TIME IT HAS
TO
DO WITH HOW THE U.S. ELECTS A
PRESIDENT. THERE'S A TERM WE
KEEP HEARING GREG. IT'S CALLED
FAITHLESS ELECTORS. WHAT IS
THAT? LORI, YOU AND I, AND JOHN
Q.
PUBLIC NEVER ELECT THE
PRESIDENT. BASICALLY, OUR
FOUNDING FATHER'S CREATED THE
ELECTORAL COLLEGE IN 1803,
THE 12TH AMENDMENT CHANGED THE
ELECTORAL
COLLEGE BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT
OF PROBLEMS AFTER GEORGE
WASHINGTON LEFT. AND BASICALLY,
EVERY STATE EXCEPT 2, MAINE
AND NEBRASKA, HAS A WINNER TAKE
ALL REQUIREMENT. 33 STATES
REQUIRE THE ELECTOR TO FOLLOW
THAT VOTE
WITHIN A STATE. SO THE ELECTOR
IS
SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT US AND OUR
VOTES. THAT'S RIGHT. IN
TENNESSEE WE HAVE A FAITHLESS
ELECTOR STATUTE AND THAT MEANS
BASICALLY YOU HAVE TO DO AS
YOUR STATE MANDATES. THE PROBLEM
IS WHEN THE FOUNDING
FATHER'S SET THIS UP THE STATE'S
POPULATION CENTERS WEREN'T
THE WAY THEY ARE NOW. CALIFORNIA
WASN'T CALIFORNIA. NEW YORK
WASN'T NEW YORK. SO THE
POPULATION HAS
CHANGED DRAMATICALLY BUT YOU
STILL HAVE THIS ARCHAIC
SYSTEM SO WHAT HAPPENED RECENTLY
IN WASHINGTON,
THREE ELECTORS DECIDED NOT TO
VOTE FOR HILARY CLINTON TO TRY
TO
VOTE FOR SOME REPUBLICANS AND
INDEPENDENTS AND THEY WERE
FINED. WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE
SUPREME
COURT AND JUSTICE KAGAN BEFORE A
UNANIMOUS COURT SAID, HEY,
HERE'S
HOW THIS THING WORKS - ELECTORS
HAVE NO DISCRESSION,
FAITHLESS ELECTORS HAS ONLY
OCCURRED IN ONE PERCENT OF
THE ELECTIONS THROUGHOUT THE
HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY. SO YOU
DON'T HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL
RIGHT TO CHANGE YOUR MIND. TO DO
THIS TO DO THAT. INTERESTING.
AND
HERE'S HOW THE PRESIDENTS
ELECTED, YOU HEAR ALL THESE
MILLIONS
OF VOTES AND ALL THE MONEY SPENT
ON T.V. THERE ARE 538 ELECTOR
VOTES
AND YOU HAVE TO GET 270 AND IF
YOU
ARE, YOU RESIDE ON PENNSYLVANIA
AVENUE IN THE OVAL OFFICE.
REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE POPULAR
VOTE MAY BE. AND HERE'S WHY
THERE'S A MOVE TO CHANGE IT.
ONLY 4
TIMES IN OUR HISTORY HAS THE
POPULAR VOTE ECLIPSED THE
ELECTORAL COLLEGE. THAT'S
BEEN RECENT. YEAH, WELL, IT
STARTED WITH RUTHERFORD
HAYES, THEN BENJAMIN HARRISON,
HILLAR CLINTON WHO WON
BY 3 MILLION POPULAR VOTES, AL
GORE BY 500,000 POPULAR VOTES.
NOW YOUR SEEING MOVEMENT WITH
THE NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE
INTERSTATE COMPACT, SOME STATES
ARE SIGNING TO TRY TO
CHANGE IT SO BASICALLY YOUR VOTE
SHOULD COUNT BUT
BASICALLY JUSTICE KAGAN, IT
WOULD
HAVE TO BE AN ELECTOR, THE
SUPREME COURT WENT OUT OF IT'S
WAY TO SAY YOU HAVE NO
DISCRESSION TO DO ANYTHING BUT
VOTE THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE.
THAT'S
YOUR PROMISE AND YOUR PLEDGE. SO
ELECTORS, YOU BETTER BEHAVE,
FAITHLESS ELECTORS CAN BE
SPANKED PRETTY HARD, THEY CAN BE
FINED OR REMOVED ACCORDING TO
OUR
SUPREME COURT. ALRIGHT, GREG
THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
LORI:
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR
GREG -- JUST SEND AN EMAIL TO
ASK-
ISAACS AT-W-A-T- E-DOT-COM. AND
BE SURE TO TUNE INTO W-A-T-E
SIX ON YOUR SIDE NEWS AT 5-30
EVERY
WEDNESDAY TO SEE IF HE ANSWERS
ANY
OF YOUR LEGAL QUESTIONS
BO:
STILL TO COME -
