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What is a faithless elector in a U.S. presidential election?

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Alabama certificate showing the state's electors' votes — Electoral College A certificate from Alabama showing the signatures of the state's electors in 2000. The nine electors voted for George W. Bush and his running mate Dick Cheney.

A "faithless elector" is an individual appointed to the Electoral College who casts a vote for a presidential or vice-presidential candidate other than the one to whom they are pledged based on the popular vote results in their state.12

While electors are typically selected by political parties and are often expected to reflect the will of the voters, they are not always legally bound to do so. Since the inception of the Electoral College in 1789, there have been more than 150 instances of faithless electors. However, these occurrences have never altered the final outcome of a U.S. presidential election.12

In response to this practice, many states have enacted laws to discourage or penalize such actions. Currently, 32 states have laws regarding faithless electors, and 15 of those states have mechanisms to remove, penalize, or cancel the votes of electors who attempt to vote against their party's candidate.1