# In the electoral college,is the voting secret? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 1, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-electoral-college-is-the-voting-secret/272384 "2004-11-01T19:42:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-electoral-college-is-the-voting-secret/272384/1 "2004-11-01T19:42:10Z")
I assume that the electors are chosen for their blind loyalty to their party.But if somebody decides to be disloyal, how will we know about it? Suppose an elector has a genuine change of heart during the month or more between election day and the date when the electors meet to vote? Is the individual’s vote secret? Or (warning:tin foil hat theory ahead)–suppose that due to , say, corruption/bribery/mafia-style threats-- most of the electors decide to change their votes? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-electoral-college-is-the-voting-secret/272384/2 "2004-11-01T20:00:17Z")
All Electoral College votes are public record. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-electoral-college-is-the-voting-secret/272384/3 "2004-11-01T20:20:55Z")
Not only are they public records, but in 2000 most states televised the balloting. The electors have to sign their votes. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-electoral-college-is-the-voting-secret/272384/4 "2004-11-01T22:47:56Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > I assume that the electors are chosen for their blind loyalty to their party.But if somebody decides to be disloyal, how will we know about it? The electoral college is a formality to confirm, for the record, that which is already known at the state level. There was no radio, TV, in the early days of the republic. Untill the pony express and the telegraph news travelled very slowly. ---
**Author:** ![SusanStoHelit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@SusanStoHelit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SusanStoHelit)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-electoral-college-is-the-voting-secret/272384/5 "2004-11-01T23:02:14Z")
Don’t some states require their elector to vote with the majority of the state? ---
**Author:** ![Josh\_dePlume](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Josh\_dePlume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Josh_dePlume)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-electoral-college-is-the-voting-secret/272384/6 "2004-11-01T23:14:12Z")
> [@SusanStoHelit](#): > > Don’t some states require their elector to vote with the majority of the state? Yes and no. Some states have laws saying that a “faithless” elector will be recalled. It is not clear that such laws are constitutional, and they might well be overturned if challenged. Note also that it’s a plurality, not necessarily a majority, that is relevant. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-electoral-college-is-the-voting-secret/272384/7 "2004-11-01T23:26:43Z")
[A copy of how each Elector in the District of Columbia voted](http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/2000_certificates/vote_dc.html) I picked a small one. The California certificate is several pages long and has lots of scribbled signatures on it. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-electoral-college-is-the-voting-secret/272384/8 "2004-11-02T05:18:57Z")
Interesting that you picked the DC ballot, BobT. Or perhaps you wanted to show an example of a faithless voter. At any rate, note that Al Gore received only two votes on it instead of the three he was entitled to. The third voter refused to vote for anyone as some sort of protest. This is only the most recent example of a faithless voter – there’ve been others in previous elections. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-electoral-college-is-the-voting-secret/272384/9 "2004-11-02T06:31:04Z")
The faithless elector was part of it. It was a good example of showing who exactly votes for what.