[font=&][/font][font=&]A federal appeals court ruled late Tuesday that presidential electors who cast the actual ballots for president and vice president are free to vote as they wish and cannot be required to follow the results of the popular vote in their states.[/font]
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[font=&][/size][/font][font=&]The decision could give a single elector the power to decide the outcome of a presidential election if the popular vote results in an apparent Electoral College tie.[/font]
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[font=&][/size][/font][font=&]When voters go to the polls in presidential races, they actually cast their votes for a slate of electors chosen by the political parties of the nominees. States are free to choose their electors however they want, Tuesday's ruling said, and can even require electors to pledge their loyalty to their political parties.[/font]
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[font=&][/size][/font][font=&]The federal court ruling conflicts with a decision from Washington state's Supreme Court in May, which said electors must follow the results of the popular vote. "The power of electors to vote comes from the state, and the elector has no personal right to that role, the court said.[/font]
[font=&][/size][/font][font=&]Lawyers from the nonprofit Equal Citizens, which represented the Washington state electors and Baca in Colorado, said they will appeal the Washington ruling to the Supreme Court.[/font]
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