Editing Unpledged elector (section)

{{Short description|Type of person in United States presidential elections}}

In [[United States presidential election]]s, an '''unpledged elector''' is a person nominated to stand as an elector but who has not pledged to support any particular presidential or vice presidential candidate, and is free to vote for any candidate when elected a member of the [[Electoral College (United States)|Electoral College]].<ref name="Fortier">{{cite book|last=Fortier|first=John C.|author2=Walter Berns|author2-link=Walter Berns|title=After the People Vote: a guide to the Electoral College|publisher=[[American Enterprise Institute]]|year=2004|isbn=0-8447-4202-3 |page=7}}</ref> Presidential elections are [[indirect election|indirect]], with voters in each [[U.S. state|state]] choosing electors on [[Election Day (United States)|Election Day]] in November, and these electors choosing the [[president of the United States|president]] and [[vice president of the United States]] in December. Electors in practice have since the 19th century almost always agreed in advance to vote for a particular candidate – that is, they are said to have been ''pledged'' to that candidate.<ref>{{cite book|last=McLean|first=Iain |author2=Arnold B. Urken |author3=Fiona Hewitt |title=Classics of social choice|publisher=[[University of Michigan Press]] |year=1995|chapter=Introduction: what is social choice?|isbn=0-472-10450-0 |page=35}}</ref> In several elections in the 20th century, however, competitive campaigns were mounted by candidates who made no pledge to any presidential nominee before the election. These anomalies largely arose from fissures within the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] over the issues of [[civil rights]] and [[Racial segregation|segregation]]. No serious general election campaign has been mounted to elect unpledged electors in any state since 1964.

An unpledged elector is distinct from a [[faithless elector]] who pledges their vote for a particular candidate before the election but ultimately votes for someone else or fails to vote at all.<ref name="Fortier"/>