Minnesota Electoral College Cast Ballots for United States President and Vice President Today
ST. PAUL, Minn.—December 17, 2012—Secretary of State Mark Ritchie presided over Minnesota’s 39th Electoral College Assembly held in the State Capitol Rotunda today at noon. After Governor Mark Dayton completed his remarks, Minnesota’s 10 Presidential Electors cast their ballots for President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden before a crowd of over a hundred government officials, legislative leaders, students and members of the public.
Minnesota's 2012 electors are from the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and include: Lucy Buckner, Burnsville; Jettie Ann Hill, Minneapolis; Dee Long, Minnetonka; Joe Moren, Hibbing; Al Patton, Sartell; Shanti Shah, Eden Prairie; Rick Stafford, Minneapolis; Russ Warren, Mounds View; Janet Weir, Mankato; and Paul Wright, Hutchinson. The alternate electors were Gabe Aderhold, Edina; Valerie Holthus, Andover; Liz Kalisch, White Bear Lake; Fred Knudsen, Owatonna; Colleen Nardone, Grand Rapids; Lil Ortendahl, Osakis; Katherine Speer, Elgin; and Charlie Thomas, Lakeville.
“152 years ago Minnesota’s very first electors cast their ballots for President Abraham Lincoln. Our presidents have led our nation through foreign and civil wars, economic depressions and major natural disasters and they have celebrated our times of peace and prosperity. I thank Ma Lor, who is a senior at South High School in Minneapolis, for leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance and First Sergeant Robyn Major for singing our national anthem. I am honored to have presided over this historic presidential Electoral College assembly.”
Editor’s Note:
The establishment of the Electoral College was a compromise by the authors of the U.S. Constitution between electing the President by a vote of Congress or by direct popular vote of the people. The process of selecting electors changed dramatically when the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed on June 15, 1804. This amendment expanded voting rights, and required that the popular vote be used to choose each state’s electors .The U.S. Constitution requires that electors in each state meet on this date to select the President and Vice President of the United States.
