You are a Presidential Elector in the Electoral College in Vermont

[Lincoln Republican]

Election night results 269 266 3.

The 3 electoral votes  have been won by an Independent in your state of Vermont.

The party of the candidate with 266 electoral votes is in control of the House of Representatives so if the election ends in a tie it goes to the House where he will win the Presidency.

Political maneuverings on both sides go into high gear on election night.

The day after the election, anonymous agents for the campaign with 269 electoral votes and for the campaign with 266 electoral votes contact you and make you extremely lucrative offers to become a faithless elector and to cast your electoral vote for their candidate.  Either of these offers would make you independently wealthy.  Let us suppose that these discussions between you and the agents of the two campaigns could not easily be found out.

The candidates are not aware of these events.

Question is:  Can you be bought?

 
 
 

[Obamanation]

I doubt it. If I'm loony enough to be an elector for an independent candidate, I doubt I could be convinced to switch my vote.

In real life - personally - absolutely.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

No.  Not that I would mind being bought, but under the circumstances, every bit of my financial and personal history is going to be subjected to intense personal scrutiny not only now but for years afterward.  Even if I could be assured that the actual transfer of wealth could be secretly made, there's no possible way I could make use of it, or rather of enough of it to make accepting the bribe.  Instead, I'd arrange for a meeting with this mysterious benefactor, record the offer and then make it public as an example of how the two party system is corrupt and the duopoly needs to be brought down.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

I vote for the candidate to whom I am pledged, and do what I can to blow the whistle on both campaigns.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Possibly, except that it would be rather sneaky and underhanded–a new corrupt bargain if there ever was one.

[Antonio the Sixth]

If the 269 party is the Democrats, they have my vote. Otherwise I'll stick with Bernie ('cause he would obviously be your independent in this scenario).

[JerryArkansas]

I would vote for the person I was pleged for, but I might vote for some one of the wall just to do it

[Lincoln Republican]

If the 269 party is the Democrats, they have my vote. Otherwise I'll stick with Bernie ('cause he would obviously be your independent in this scenario).

True, he would be the most likely independent.

[Del Tachi]

I would sell my vote. 

[MaxQue]

Surely in that case, the Independent might even decide by himself to push his electors to vote for the 269 candidate if he prefers him.

[Smid]

I would have thought that such a deal would be illegal?

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

If the 269 party is the Democrats, they have my vote. Otherwise I'll stick with Bernie ('cause he would obviously be your independent in this scenario).

[Blackacre]

I would have no use voting for the 266 EV candidate. If I vote for the indy, it goes to the house and Mr. 266 wins anyway.

So I would vote for the Independent who won Vermont UNLESS the 269 EV candidate wins the Popular Vote, in which case I vote for him.

[Enderman]

I vote for the candidate to whom I am pledged, and do what I can to blow the whistle on both campaigns.

[free my dawg]

No, because I would probably vote for Bernie anyway. (assuming he's the independent you guys are thinking of)

[JQ]

I vote for the candidate to whom I am pledged, and do what I can to blow the whistle on both campaigns.

^ This.

[Skill and Chance]

Vote for the Indy and leak the tapes to the media just in time for the 12th Amendment vote in the House.  Then the whole world gets to watch WY cancel out CA and DE cancel out TX.  I guarantee you that the NPV compact would be in effect by the end of the next state legislative session!

[HoosierPoliticalJunkie]

No.  Not that I would mind being bought, but under the circumstances, every bit of my financial and personal history is going to be subjected to intense personal scrutiny not only now but for years afterward.  Even if I could be assured that the actual transfer of wealth could be secretly made, there's no possible way I could make use of it, or rather of enough of it to make accepting the bribe.  Instead, I'd arrange for a meeting with this mysterious benefactor, record the offer and then make it public as an example of how the two party system is corrupt and the duopoly needs to be brought down.

Yeah, you could also probably get a lot of $$$$ on the speaking circuit with this strategy. 

[barfbag]

It would vote Republican if I were the elector.

[Supersonic]

If the 269 candidate was a Republican, and the Democrat on 266 was, in my mind, 'horrible', then I would switch to the GOP. If the Democrat was someone like Clinton, Schweitzer, Cuomo I would remain with the independent. Someone like Elizabeth Warren would make me switch. It would also highly depend on who won the popular vote too.

[Stranger in a strange land]

If the 269 candidate was a Republican, and the Democrat on 266 was, in my mind, 'horrible', then I would switch to the GOP. If the Democrat was someone like Clinton, Schweitzer, Cuomo I would remain with the independent. Someone like Elizabeth Warren would make me switch. It would also highly depend on who won the popular vote too.

Why is Warren so much worse than Schweitzer? Why does everyone on this forum seem to have the idea that Elizabeth Warren is the Michele Bachmann of the Left?

[NewYorkExpress]

Leak to the press... along with insisting the house vote for my candidate.