Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Some electors abandon Perot Date: Sat, 31 Oct 92 14:00:15 EST Message-ID: \SE A;NATION;CAMPAIGN '92 \SS (WS) \HD Some electors abandon Perot \BY Joan Lowy \CR SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE A growing number of electors pledged to support Ross Perot are abandoning their candidate, saying they have lost faith in his ability to handle the presidency. At least 40 electors who will appear on the ballot for Mr. Perot in 16 states now say they will not support him or are undecided, according to a list compiled by former Perot supporters. Some said they would not cast an electoral vote for the Dallas billionaire even if he carried their state. "I could not in good conscience vote for him," said Joyce Phinnex, a Perot elector in Atlanta who is now supporting Democrat Bill Clinton. "He was not the person I thought he was originally," said Candice Brearley, a New Jersey fashion designer and Perot elector. "This is not a leader. This is not someone I could see as president." Mr. Perot's campaign officials had no comment. Under the Electoral College system, voters technically do not vote for a candidate for president, but for the candidate's electors whose names appear on the ballot in small type next to the candidate's name. There is no constitutional requirement that electors vote for the candidate to whom they are pledged, and there have been episodes in the past of "unfaithful electors," Federal Election Commission spokesman Fred Eiland said. There are 538 electors, and it takes 270 votes to win. They meet in their state capital after the election to vote, and Congress takes the official count in January. The possibility that Mr. Perot might carry a state and find his electors voting for another candidate seems remote - presidential polls do not have him leading in a single state. Also, several electors said that while they plan to pull the lever for someone else in the voting booth, they would cast their electoral vote for Mr. Perot if he carried their state. "Personally, I'm voting Libertarian," said corporate attorney Anne Orr, another Perot elector in Georgia. "However, I will fulfill my duty as an elector and my contract with the voters of Georgia if they are stupid enough to vote for Perot." Many of the electors who are abandoning Mr. Perot were important players in his campaign before they decided they wanted a divorce. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM