December 16, 1968
Electors meet to vote for the President, VP
Across the country, electors met yesterday to select the next President and Vice President of the United States. The process went as expected: electors voted for their ordained candidates, with no “faithless” electors. [1] However, since no candidate received a majority of electoral votes, no candidate was able to win outright.
The outcome of the election will ultimately be decided by the next Congress in January. Under the 12th Amendment, the House will choose among the three candidates for President receiving the most electoral votes, in this case, Democrat Hubert Humphrey, Republican George Romney, and Independent George Wallace. Rather than voting as individuals, each state votes as a single delegation. Meanwhile, the Senate will choose between the two Vice Presidential candidates receiving the most electoral votes, Edmund Muskie and Ronald Reagan (Wallace’s running mate, Gen. Curtis LeMay, will be excluded because he finished third). In contrast to the House, each Senator will receive one vote. [2]
The Presidency will be determined by how each delegation votes. It goes without saying that states with a majority of Democratic congressmen will vote for Humphrey and those with a majority of Republicans will vote for Romney. However, Wallace’s sweep of the south places him in the position of kingmaker. [3] His influence over the southern delegations could determine whether the Presidency will go to Humphrey or Romney. In states with an equal number of Democratic and Republican Congressmen, the outcome is even more uncertain, as there will likely be a tie vote.