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and I conducted our first survey of presidential electors. We went into the initial survey with a modest goal—to obtain a snapshot of presidential electors, to learn who they were. Although we sought to simply put a face on the Electoral College, we gained much more knowledge than we ever could have anticipated. After the initial survey, I (along with different cohorts of students) was able to secure funding through two more chapter activity grants to survey the 2004 and 2008 presidential electors. These surveys have built upon one another and have helped produce what I believe is the most exhaustive dataset ever assembled regarding presidential electors.
Such an effort could not have been undertaken without the assistance of many excellent students from Ohio Northern University. Though they have all been undergraduates, their motivation and ability never ceased to amaze me. Their hard work and dedication have inspired me to continue working on this project for nearly a decade. Their work has made this book possible. I owe each of these students a deep debt of gratitude: Rebecca Boler, Jessica Brasee, David Brown, Zachary Bushatz, Kara Calomeni, Doug Chapel, Alexis Cobb, Christopher Difrancesco, Elizabeth Drummond, Tiffany Ferry, Christine Frankart, Adam Gallagher, Jennifer Jameson, Jason Kaseman, Brittani Knisely, Maggie Koch, Steve Kochheiser, Jesse Longbrake, Tina Loughry, Melissa Mead, Robert Moorman, Kelly Morman, Matthew Oyster, Shaili Patel, Heather Stassen, Brad Stoll, Barbara Tate, Jamie Uppenkamp, and Benjamin Wollet. As I mentioned, Pi Sigma Alpha awarded several chapter activity grants to help fund the surveys. I would like to thank Jim Lengle, Nancy McManus, and the leadership team of Pi Sigma Alpha for all of their help and support over the years.
Many others have played significant parts in this process. As I mentioned, Lillard Richardson reminded me that presidential electors actually existed and that scholars knew very little about them. Without his prompting, I never would have sought to examine these individuals very closely. Thanks are also due to Sean Kelly and Scott Frisch for moving this project along and including it in their Politics, Institutions, and Public Policy in America book series. They have gathered