Professional News

Law Expert Sheds Light on Electoral College History

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 18, 2012) — University of Kentucky College of Law Assistant Professor Joshua Douglas was on hand at the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort on Monday, when the state's presidential electors cast their vote for president and vice president in the Supreme Court Chambers.

Douglas, a noted expert on election law, was invited by Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes to  deliver a short talk on the history of the Electoral College and how each state would resolve a dispute over that state's presidential electors, as part of the ceremony.

The workings of the Electoral College are somewhat of a mystery to many voters, but the process of formally electing a president and vice president are long established, and the procedure is encoded in federal law, Douglas said.

"Based on federal law, every state has its electors meet on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December," Douglas said. "They fill out six Certificates of Vote, which are sent in to the president of the Senate (the vice president of the United States), the archivist of the United States, the state secretary of state, and the chief judge of the federal district court where the electors meet.  Congress will open the electoral ballots on Jan. 6 and declare the winner of the presidential election." 

MEDIA CONTACT: Keith Hautala, (859) 323-2396; keith.hautala@uky.edu