Dr Nicholas Cole Interviewed on American Radio Station KVI

Pembroke Senior Research Fellow, Dr Nicholas Cole was interviewed on the American radio programme ‘Talk Radio 570’ on KVI following his timely blog post on the Quill Project’s website titled ‘The Purpose of the Electoral College’.

The Quill Project , spearheaded by Dr Cole and launched in October 2016, is a digital platform that aims to transform the study of negotiated texts; especially the creation of constitutions, treaties or legislation. Their flagship work presents the records of the Constitutional Convention of 1787. 

The blog post that prompted KVI’s interest dealt with the establishment of the Electoral College in the Constitution, which was seen as an alternative to Congress choosing the President. Dr Cole acknowledged the contemporary relevance of the topic, that ‘Trump’s unlikely candidacy, and the fact that he will be only the fifth President elected to office without winning a  majority of votes cast nation-wide has brought more scrutiny on the role of the Electoral College’.

On KVI radio Dr Cole was asked what he considers to be the things that people often misunderstand about the Electoral College. He replied:

‘I think it’s remarkable that people thought the Electoral College would overturn an election, there has been a lot of debate online about this and we’ve seen all kinds of people calling for “faithless electors”. But if you think about how the Electoral College is designed, the electors meet once in their state capitals, they get to cast one lot of votes and then if there is any dispute later it’s for Congress to sort out.

This isn’t meant to be a group of people who get together and consult with each other about who to make President; it’s not designed to have that kind of legitimacy. It’s meant to be a mechanism that people can have trust in and if there is any real  controversy it will go to the House of Representatives.

I’ve found this debate about whether the Electoral College should be expected to pick a different candidate or receive intelligence briefings really quite incredible because it is simply not designed for that kind of purpose.’

The interview highlights the potential reach and impact of the Quill Project and how the resource can inform conversations around contemporary politics. To keep up to date with the Quill Project’s developments, you can find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.