Editing Faithless elector (section)

==Faithless elector laws==
{{As of|2024}}, 38 [[U.S. state|states]] and the [[District of Columbia]] have laws that require electors to vote for the candidates for whom they pledged to vote, though in half of these jurisdictions, there is no enforcement mechanism. In 14 states, votes contrary to the pledge are voided and the respective electors are replaced, and in two of these states they may also be fined. Three other states impose a penalty on faithless electors but still count their votes as cast.<ref name=laws>{{cite web |title=Faithless Elector State Laws|url= https://fairvote.org/resources/presidential-elections|website=Fair Vote|orig-date=July 7, 2020|date=October 2022|access-date=September 6, 2023}}</ref>

[[Colorado]] was the first state to void an elector's faithless vote, which occurred during the [[2016 United States Presidential Election|2016 election]]. Minnesota also invoked this law for the first time in 2016 when an elector pledged to [[Hillary Clinton]] attempted to vote for [[Bernie Sanders]] instead.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/mn-electors-meet-award-clinton-votes-amid-protests-against-trump/407477396/|title=Minnesota electors align for Clinton; one replaced after voting for Sanders|website=[[Star Tribune]]}}</ref> Until 2008, Minnesota's electors cast secret ballots. Although the final count would reveal the occurrence of faithless votes, it was impossible to determine which electors were faithless. After an unknown elector was faithless in 2004, Minnesota amended its law to require public balloting of the electors' votes and invalidate any vote cast for someone other than the candidate to whom the elector was pledged.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=208.08, 2008 Minnesota Statutes |publisher=Revisor.leg.state.mn.us |url=https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=208.08&year=2008 |access-date=May 5, 2009 |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927212127/https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=208.08&year=2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Washington (state)|Washington]] became the first state to fine faithless electors after the 2016 election, in the wake of that state having four faithless elector votes. In 2019, the state changed its law for future elections, to void faithless votes and replace the respective electors instead of fining them.<ref>[http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2019-20/Pdf/Bills/Session%20Laws/Senate/5074.SL.pdf Uniform Faithful Presidential Electors Act], Washington State Legislature, July 28, 2019.</ref>