Who are electors and how are they chosen? Can anyone be an elector?
Electors are usually long-term, loyal party members that are chosen by their party to vote for the party’s candidate in the Electoral College. Each party chooses enough electors to cover all of the electoral votes in each state, and also picks some alternates as well. The two major parties usually select their electors either at their State party Conventions or through appointment by the State party leaders. When we go to the polls, we are not actually electing a president; rather, we are selecting slate of electors that have been pledged to a certain candidate. This is why most general election ballots read: “Electors for…” for each set of candidates. Since the electors are pledged to vote for their party’s candidate, we are actually voting for electors, who then fulfill their party duty. Electors can never be sitting Congressmen or federal government employees so as to maintain checks and balances.
