Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8Jefferson County Clerk’s Office of 2000, the focus was just on one state. With a national vote total, problems in every jurisdiction might come into play. Attempts to change the present system through a constitutional amendment have gone nowhere, but some large states have tried another route passing state laws that would create an alliance of states that would give their electoral college votes to the winner of the national vote, irrespective of the result in that state. This can be contemplated because, under Article II of our constitution, state legislatures have sole power to award their state’s electoral votes. Nowadays, all states have passed laws for popular elections to do this, but they don’t have to. In the first decades of the country, many state legislatures simply made the choice themselves. South Carolina was the last holdout on this, not going to a popular election until after the Civil War. Cooler weather is finally here. We are beginning to see the onset of fall colors. Recently, we held our annual meeting with all employees to set goals for 2017. Our strategic plan for the upcoming year is now in place and outlined to provide more internal efficiency, accountability and service to the residents of Jefferson County. We’ve already begun to move forward in some areas of our strategic plan. The upcoming year will once again bring more changes with the Department of Transportation implementation of KAVIS. We will continue to keep you informed of changes that affect you and how you do business with us. It is such a beautiful time of the year to enjoy Louisville and Kentucky. Make sure you take advantage of it before you feel like you need to hibernate. If you have any questions or suggestions as to how the Clerk’s Office can better serve you, please let us know. Have a great autumn. Bobbie Holsclaw Jefferson County Clerk Back in 2000, when George W. Bush won the Presidency (even though he finished a close second in the popular vote), many people were very surprised. A great deal of Americans were seemingly unaware that, in the United States, we do not elect a President by raw votes, but rather through the institution of the Electoral College. And every four years, this college is the real Number One college in the land. Though, of course, by “college” we mean not an educational institution, but another definition- a discrete membership tasked with a specific aim. Since our nation’s founding, there has been a feeling that it would be unwise to allow a candidate for president to simply win by piling up votes in one region or another. It would be better if the winner could demonstrate wide national support. Hence the process of awarding Electoral Votes to each state, essentially one vote for each member of the Senate and House. This gives small states a bigger role in the process- for example, there is California with one electoral vote for every 252,000 votes in 2012, while in Wyoming there was an electoral vote for every 83,000 voters cast there. Supporters of the status quo say this system makes states who may battle voter fraud and other election problems less dangerous. In the Florida recount A Message from the Jefferson County Clerk The Most Powerful College of All By: Frank Friday Esquire Director continued on page 2 Fall 2016