First votes cast as Electoral College members vote for president

Robert Tanner

Monday, Dec. 18, 2000 | 8:46 a.m.

The Electoral College began casting what should be the final votes for president Monday, with members honoring their pledges and Tennessee - Vice President Al Gore's home state - giving its 11 votes to President-elect George W. Bush.

As all 538 electors gather in their respective states to cast their votes, the party faithful promise no surprises, although there remains a slim chance that the college could upset the results.

In pledged electoral votes, President-elect Bush holds a scant lead over Gore, 271-267. If two Bush electors switch their votes, it would throw the election to the U.S. House. If three do, it would give the election to Gore.

Sen. Joe Lieberman discouraged any switchers during a "thank-you" tour in Connecticut on Monday.

"Al Gore and I don't expect any surprises. We've certainly renounced any effort to change any electoral votes," Lieberman said.

Indiana also cast all 12 of its votes to Bush as the day's meetings began. The votes won't be officially tallied until a joint session of Congress in early January.

Tennessee's 20-minute meeting was interrupted briefly when Gov. Don Sundquist's cell phone rang with a call from Vice President-elect Dick Cheney, who was returning a call. After the meeting, an audience of 80 cheered and applauded the electors.

Across the country, GOP electors say they're sticking to their promises. "I wouldn't consider it," said Jane Ham, a Bush elector from Nevada. "I'd have to be completely lacking in integrity."

But in the last several weeks, an e-mail, letter and phone campaign has sought to persuade some Bush electors to switch, because he lost the popular vote even while winning enough states for an electoral-vote victory.

GOP officials nationwide dismissed the campaign, but some electors said they're keeping watchful.

"The Republicans are nervous," said Howard Lamb, a Bush elector from Nebraska. "They're even going to bring us in the day before, put us up in hotel and feed us dinner."

And though some Democrats have encouraged the wooing of so-called "faithless electors," others have criticized the tactic.

"I think it's unrealistic and I think it would be doomed to failure," said New York elector Judith Hope, the state Democratic Party chairwoman, "and I think it would be a bad way to win the presidency."

The meetings themselves vary from state to state: some in small offices, others in the grandeur of the legislative chambers. Alaska electors meet at an Anchorage library, while electors in the District of Columbia gather in city council chambers. Most meetings are wrapped up in an hour or less.

Other sessions feature local color.

North Carolina will bring in a high school color guard, while in Montana a student will sing the national anthem. In Alabama, people in costume will be dressed like James Madison and Benjamin Franklin.

"It's a historic moment," said Thomas P. Giblin Jr., chairman of the Democratic State Committee in New Jersey, which went heavily for Gore. "It's part of the tradition that started over 200 years ago."

For many electors, their votes will mark the end of a very emotional campaign.

"I go down there with a heavy heart," said Joyce Savocchio, a Gore elector from Erie, Pa.

"The way it has turned out doesn't leave me a sense of exultation," added Chuck Clay, chairman of Georgia's GOP and a Bush elector. "I'm happy. I'm satisfied. There'll be time for partying at the inauguration."

Votes are public in most states, while others - Minnesota, New York, Indiana and Washington, for example - conduct a secret ballot, though the results are made public.

New York's ballots are slipped into a 16-pound mahogany box with a brass latch, from which they're later removed and read out loud. In Connecticut, they're placed in a wooden box made from the oak tree where the state's charter was hidden during colonial times.

Afterward, the results are sent to state and federal officials, with the final national count set for Jan. 5 during a joint session of Congress.

---

On the Net:

Electoral College: http://www.nara.gov/fedreg/elctcoll

Federal Election Commission: http://www.fec.gov

About "faithless electors": http://www.avagara.com/e-c/ec-unfaithful.htm