Maine and Nebraska

[Democratic Hawk]

In Maine and Nebraska,  how are the district votes decided?

Is it by whoever wins the House race or by whichever presidential candidate gets the most votes in the district?

Because technically, such districts could plum for one party presidentially and another congressionally

Dave

[Bono]

In Maine and Nebraska,  how are the district votes decided?

Is it by whoever wins the House race or by whichever presidential candidate gets the most votes in the district?

Because technically, such districts could plum for one party presidentially and another congressionally

Dave

The presidential candidate that wins more votes in the district wins it.

[jimrtex]

In Maine and Nebraska,  how are the district votes decided?

Is it by whoever wins the House race or by whichever presidential candidate gets the most votes in the district?

Typically (perhaps universally in 2004?), the name of the elector candidates do not appear on the ballot, but rather the name of the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates.  State law then prescribes how votes cast for the Presidential/Vice Presidential ticket determine who the electors are. 

Below are urls of the certificates of ascertainment for Maine and Nebraska (plus Missouri and Texas).  Note that for Maine and Nebraska, the sum of the district votes for a candidate is equal to the number of statewide votes.   Each ballot in effect gets counted twice (in practice they are counted once and added into two different sums).

If you read the Maine certificate closely, you will notice it is the electors who receive the votes.  That is, Jill Duson was chosen as the elector for the 1st District, because she received more votes than the other elector candidates.   A vote for Kerry-Edwards was a vote for Duson.

Missouri also chooses its electors by congressional district, with two at large.  However, the elector who is chosen in each district is based on the statewide vote for the president and vice president candidate.  Again, it is the elector candidates who are credited with the votes cast by the voters.

I've included the Texas certificate because it is explicit about the conversion of votes.  The electors are numbered, but this is merely a sequence number.

Maine Certificate of Ascertainment

Missouri Certificate of Ascertainment

Nebraska Certificate of Ascertainment

Texas Certificate of Ascertainment

[Fritz]

This is kind of a silly question.  The Presidential and Congressional elections are two seperate elections, listed on the ballot seperately.  The fact that these states have a different method of allocating their electoral votes doesn't change that.

[jimrtex]

This is kind of a silly question.  The Presidential and Congressional elections are two seperate elections, listed on the ballot seperately.  The fact that these states have a different method of allocating their electoral votes doesn't change that.

There is nothing that would prevent a state from determining its presidential electors on the basis of votes cast for its congressional candidates.

[Fritz]

This is kind of a silly question.  The Presidential and Congressional elections are two seperate elections, listed on the ballot seperately.  The fact that these states have a different method of allocating their electoral votes doesn't change that.

There is nothing that would prevent a state from determining its presidential electors on the basis of votes cast for its congressional candidates.

Technically, I suppose you are correct.  States are free to choose their electors however they choose.  A state could revert back to the legislature choosing the electors, but in true reality, that is not going to happen.  Same as what I have said.  Voters won't stand for being forced to vote along a party line, that your vote for Congressman means you also voted for President of the same party.

Constitutionally, a state could pass a law saying whichever pair of candidates wins a three-legged race on the lawn of the State Capitol wins the electors.

[jimrtex]

There is nothing that would prevent a state from determining its presidential electors on the basis of votes cast for its congressional candidates.

Technically, I suppose you are correct.  States are free to choose their electors however they choose.  A state could revert back to the legislature choosing the electors, but in true reality, that is not going to happen.  Same as what I have said.  Voters won't stand for being forced to vote along a party line, that your vote for Congressman means you also voted for President of the same party.

If a state had always elected their presidential electors that way, the voters wouldn't think it abnormal at all.  They would choose a person to represent them in Congress and another likeminded person to represent them in the electoral college.  The law would likely provide for the congressional candidate to choose their elector running mate.  They wouldn't necessarily have to choose a supporter of some national candidate.