faithless elector

American

[fayth-lis-i-lek-ter] / ˈfeɪθ lɪs ɪˈlɛk tər /

noun

plural

faithless electors

U.S. Politics. a delegate of the electoral college who does not vote for the presidential or vice presidential candidate to whom they are pledged.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A lone faithless elector in Washington state made it a three-way race by voting for Ronald Reagan.

From Slate • Aug. 9, 2024

The very first faithless elector was a guy named Sam Miles, who was chosen to vote for Adams and voted in the end for Jefferson.

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2024

It was the first election since 1948 to feature more than one faithless elector.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2020

In New Mexico, a faithless elector faces up to 18 months in prison.

From Reuters • Oct. 20, 2020

There are also questions about whether the faithless elector scheme would violate federal law.

From Washington Times • Sep. 30, 2020

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023