What Does the U.S. Constitution Say About Presidential Elections?
The method of selecting the President and Vice President of the United States is not set forth in detail in the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution is silent about many of the most politically important features of presidential elections, notably including the question of “who votes for presidential electors” and “how are votes counted for presidential electors.” The Founding Fathers left these (and many other) politically important aspects of presidential elections for the states to decide. In the nations first presidential election in 1789, for example, only four states gave the voters a direct voice in electing the presidential electors. In most states, the state legislature simply “appointed” the states presidential electors. The people have no federal constitutional right to vote for President. Only the Colorado Constitution gives the people a state constitutional right to vote for President. In 1789, only three states awarded their electoral votes using the system that is now in
