A Virtual Conversation with Emily Conrad | The Faithless?

Join us for a virtual conversation with Spartanburg author and journalist, Emily Conrad, to discuss her first book The Faithless?: The Untold Story of the Electoral College on October 6th at 7PM! 

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The Faithless?: The Untold Story of the Electoral College

by Emily Conrad

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"While most political junkies examined the unprecedented nature of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential victory, Conrad was fascinated by the underreported stories about the eight so-called faithless electors who cast ballots that went against the popular vote of their states in the Electoral College... her deeply human approach that centers on the personal lives of the eight electors is a welcome alternative to a genre dominated by hyperpartisan pundits. By pushing Trump and Clinton out of the spotlight, the book is also an implicit celebration of democracy with an unrelenting focus on state and local activists willing to stand up against members of their own parties."--Kirkus Reviews 

The day after the 2016 general election, Americans were divided: some were celebrating while others were trying to come to terms with Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton. What they did not realize was that the election was far from over.

On December 19, 2016, 538 mostly nameless individuals met at state capitols across the country as members of the Electoral College to officially elect the President. Some electors, both Republican and Democrat, decided to go rogue and not vote for the candidate who won their states’ popular vote, bringing problematic questions to the fore—What exactly is the Electoral College? How do states choose their electors? How do electors in turn choose their candidates?

In "The Faithless? The Untold Story of the Electoral College", journalist Emily Conrad interviews these so-called “faithless electors” who put their personal safety, as well as their political reputations, at risk to vote according to their consciences rather than toeing party lines. Interweaving tales of the founding and evolution of the Electoral College with these individuals’ stories, the book humanizes the country’s fraught electoral process.

"Emily Conrad combines a rich historical perspective, together with firsthand accounts of faithless electors from the 2016 Presidential Election, to give the reader a real understanding of how the Electoral College actually functions." --Van D. Hipp, Jr., Chairman of American Defense International, Inc. 

Emily Conrad attended Wofford College in her hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina, where she graduated summa cum laude with a triple major in economics, German, and Spanish, and the distinction of Phi Beta Kappa. She completed a Master of Law in China studies with a focus in international relations at Peking University in Beijing, China, where she was a Yenching Academy fellow. Emily enjoys reading about history and politics, singing and attending the opera, as well as playing classical piano. The Faithless? The Untold Story of the Electoral College is her first book.