Exploring the role of the Electoral College with new elector Councilwoman Cindy Bass

After serving as a delegate at the recent Democratic National Convention, 8th District City Councilwoman Cindy Bass has now been selected to serve in the Electoral College for the presidential election on Nov. 6. 

The Electoral College is a process that includes the selection of electors (typically state-elected officials), the meeting of those electors when they cast their votes for president and vice president, and the counting of those votes by Congress. Each state has one elector for each member of Congress in that state. Adding the three electors allotted to the District of Columbia, there are 538 electors total. A candidate needs a majority of those electors’ vote, or 270, to be elected president.

Councilwoman Cindy Bass, a Democrat, was nominated by the Obama Campaign to be one of Pennsylvania’s 20 electors.

“I believe that we will be victorious in November, and I am very excited about having the opportunity to formalize my support and follow the wishes of the people,” Bass said.

In Pennsylvania, as in most states, if one political party wins the popular vote, that party also wins all of the state’s electoral votes. (For some states, candidates will win a proportional number of electors based on the popular vote.)

Bass said that, while the Electoral College’s vote takes precedence, it is important for individuals to cast a ballot in the popular vote.

“The popular vote is absolutely important, because the popular vote determines which way the electoral votes go,” said Bass. “In a state like Pennsylvania, where you have 20 electoral votes, the popular vote then determines which group of electors is selected.”

While the election process has been assumed to be a close race, Bass believes the possibility of a tie would be “remote and limited.”