Emily Conrad, Author of The Faithless

Emily Conrad, author of the book The Faithless? - The Untold
Story of the Electoral College, talks about the electoral college
and its “Faithless Electors.”


What is a faithless elector? Let’s start by examining your vote
for POTUS. You may think you voted for a president in this past
election, but no, your vote ultimately amounted to nothing more
than strong advice. The real voting takes place after the general
election, when 538 mostly unknown persons meet at state capitols
in every state across the nation. These 538 people - known as
electors - are the ones who actually cast the official votes for
the president. But, will they actually cast their votes
consistent with the will of the voters in their states? Well, by
most state’s laws, they’re supposed to, but the law in this area
has almost no teeth, and that being the case, some electors may
decide to vote for someone else. When an elector casts his or her
vote for someone other than the popular vote of the state, he/she
is called a “faithless elector.” The term implies that the
elector did not act in good faith.


Does this ever happen? Yes. Emily Conrad, in her recently
published book, documents the faithless electors that
participated in the 2016 election. She tells their stories in
this book. And she tells the story of the Electoral College
itself, including its history and why it’s getting a lot of
criticism these days.


It’s a fascinating read that humanizes the story of the 2016
faithless electors and helps you understand their reasons and
motivations for acting in a “faithless” manner. It doesn’t come
from a sense of idealism; rather, it’s out of a profound sense of
what is right for the people of their state and for the people of
our country.


Click here for a link to Emily’s book.


Emily Conrad graduated summa cum laude with a triple major in
economics, German and Spanish, and the distinction of Phi Beta
Kappa. She completed a Master of Law in China studies with a
focus in international relations at Peking University in Beijing,
China, where she was a Yenching Academy fellow. The Faithless? is
her first book.