Bill Conley, history teacher here at Gaffney High, has a chance this November to travel to Columbia and serve as a delegate in the electoral college. The electoral college described in the Constitution is a group of representatives from each state who are selected to cast votes for President and Vice-President. If Donald Trump wins South Carolina, the South Carolina Republican Party will supply the electors to send nine votes to Trump in hopes of giving him 270 votes to win the Presidency. If Hillary Clinton wins South Carolina, the Democratic Party will supply electors to give her nine electoral votes. In Columbia, Conley will sign a paper that expresses the vote of South Carolina citizens if Trump is to get South Carolina’s nine electoral votes.

When asked how the delegate selection process worked, Conley replied, “Each political party, during a meeting of the Executive Committee, consisting of an Executive Committeeman and Chairman from each County, gathers by Congressional districts to nominate no less than two and no more than seven candidates. Then, the whole group elects one from each district to be the elector. There are nine in South Carolina.” Conley is the Spartanburg County Republican Party’s representative.

“The responsibility of being the Spartanburg County Republican Party Chairman allowed me to be there and be part of the nomination to be an elector. It also allowed me to be acquainted with the others at the Executive Committee meeting,” said Conley about the responsibility’s effect on his activity in the election.

For  more information about the Electoral College and how popular votes count, check out this Ted-Ed video.