elector

noun

elec·​tor i-ˈlek-tər 

-ˌtȯr

plural electors

1

: a person qualified to vote in an election

2

: a person appointed by a state in the U.S. to vote for president and vice president in the electoral college

When Americans cast their ballots, they are actually voting for a slate of electors appointed by their state's political parties who are pledged to support that party's candidate.

—Allyson Waller

3

: any of the German princes entitled to take part in choosing the Holy Roman Emperor

Examples of elector in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That deadline leaves a window of five days before state officials must send the presidential results to U.S. Congress, and 11 days before electors meet to certify who won the presidential race. —Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024

They have been charged with perjury—making a false statement on an affidavit for the purpose of securing voter registration—and being an unauthorized elector who attempted to vote. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024

The new law, along with the Supreme Court decision Moore v. Harper, knocked out the most extreme aspects of independent-state-legislature theory—the notion that state lawmakers can choose their own electors. —Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2024

The founders did not foresee the emergence of political parties and their winner-take-all slates of electors, which make a mockery of all presumptions of virtuous choosing by a select few. —Joseph J. Ellis, The Mercury News, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing elector

• faithless elector

Kids Definition

elector

noun

elec·​tor i-ˈlek-tər 

-ˌtȯ(ə)r

1

: one qualified to vote in an election

2

: a person appointed by a state in the U.S. to vote for president and vice president in the electoral college

Legal Definition

elector

noun

elec·​tor

1

: a person who is qualified to vote

2

: a member of the electoral college in the U.S.