Minnesota Elector breaks ranks, casts vote for Edwards not Kerry

[KyndCulture]

Can I get a WHAT THE FUCK? I thought we had it together here in MN?


http://startribune.com/stories/587/5134791.html


Minnesota elector breaks ranks, votes for Edwards, not Kerry
Associated Press
December 13, 2004 ELECTOR1214

One of Minnesota's 10 presidential electors broke from the pack and cast a vote Monday for John Edwards, the Democratic vice presidential running mate for John Kerry.

The other nine Minnesota members of the Electoral College voted for Kerry, who won the state's popular vote in November.

After the state's Electoral College ceremony concluded, no one stepped foward as the Edwards voter. Most electors chalked the vote up as a mistake rather than a purposeful political statement.

``I'm sure somebody made a mistake,'' said elector Michael Meuers of Bemidji. ``I'm certainly glad that the Electoral College is not separated by one vote.''

Republican George W. Bush is due to receive 286 electoral votes; Kerry was slated to get 252, but the Minnesota vote will reduce that total. It takes 270 votes to win the presidency.

Electors around the country meet in state capitols on the same day to vote.

Minnesota's voting began shortly after noon. Electors wrote their candidate's name on an 81/2/-inch-by-11-inch sheet of paper and put the ballots in a pine box. Once all votes were in, Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer and her aids pulled them out, counted them and announced the total.

It may never be known who cast the Edwards ballot. The ballots aren't signed. A tally sheet is sent to Congress, which announces totals in January.

Kiffmeyer, a Republican, said she was shocked to see the Edwards vote when counting the ballots. She also thought that it was in error.

``It just shows the humanness of the process,'' she said. Even if an elector came foward to admit a mistake, it is too late to change the ballot, she said.

Edwards received all 10 Minnesota votes for vice president in a separate round of balloting.

Electoral votes in Minnesota - and most other states - are awarded based on the popular vote winner. In November, Kerry received 1,445,014 to Bush's 1,346,695.

In October, The Associated Press contacted electors and was able to reach all 10 Republicans and eight of 10 on the Democratic roster. All said they would unequivocally support their party's candidate if called on to vote.

Minnesota is not among the states where parties require their electors to take formal pledges that they'll back the ticket. In some states, electors can be hit with fines and misdemeanors for bucking the popular vote.

[LiberalinNC]

1. "Mistake" My A$$

[GAspnes]

2. subtle. very subtle

``I'm sure somebody made a mistake,'' said elector Michael Meuers of Bemidji. ``I'm certainly glad that the Electoral College is not separated by one vote.''

Yet. Post-Ohio, some sort of split decision or other jiggery-pokery, and that one vote lost to Kerry may make the difference.

Jeeze, where's my tinfoil?

[bluestateguy]

3. Rose Nylund must be a Democratic elector

The dumb one from the Golden Girls. She was from St. Olaf, Minnesota.

[DFLforever]

4. Edwards did have a lot of support in Minnesota.

Maybe the elector figured 'what the heck' at this point.

[katinmn]

5. Right. I sincerely doubt it was a "mistake." n/t

[CatholicEdHead]

6. It is also legal

All electors do have free will to vote as they want. It is how it was designed.

[GAspnes]

7. Yup. Works as designed.

If a truly terribly candidate somehow got elected by the populace, the Electoral College was not only empowered, but required, to set aside that choice and transfer power to the other candidate ... wait a minute!

[question everything]

8. Edwards certainly won my caucus and the one adjacent

this was before we knew that while we were caucusing he withdrew...

[The Straight Story]

9. Kicking (n/t)