The truth about Minnesota when voting in a general election for President of the United States:
Presidential electors and alternates for the major political parties of this state shall be nominated by delegate conventions called and held under the supervision of the respective state central committees of the parties of this state. The chair of the major political party shall certify to the secretary of state the names of the persons nominated as presidential electors, the names of persons nominated as alternate presidential electors, and the names of the party candidates for president and vice president.
Each elector nominee and alternate elector nominee of a political party shall execute the following pledge: “If selected for the position of elector, I agree to serve and to mark my ballots for president and vice president for the nominees for those offices of the party that nominated me.” The executed pledges must accompany the submission of the corresponding names to the secretary of state.
The secretary of state shall preside at the meeting of electors. The position of an elector not present to vote is vacant. The secretary of state shall appoint an individual as a substitute elector to fill a vacancy as follows: (1) if the alternate elector is present to vote, by appointing the alternate elector for the vacant position; (2) if the alternate elector for the vacant position is not present to vote, by appointing an elector chosen by lot from among the alternate electors present to vote who were nominated by the same political party or unaffiliated presidential candidate; (3) if the number of alternate electors present to vote is insufficient to fill any vacant position pursuant to clauses (1) and (2), by appointing any immediately available individual who is qualified to serve as an elector and chosen through nomination by a plurality vote of the remaining electors, including nomination and vote by a single elector if only one remains; (4) if there is a tie between at least two nominees for substitute elector in a vote conducted under clause (3), by appointing an elector chosen by lot from among those nominees; or (5) if all elector positions are vacant and cannot be filled pursuant to clauses (1) to (4), by appointing a single presidential elector, with remaining vacant positions to be filled under clause (3) and, if necessary, clause (4).
To qualify as a substitute elector, an individual who has not executed the pledge required under law shall execute the following pledge: “I agree to serve and to mark my ballots for president and vice president consistent with the pledge of the individual to whose elector position I have succeeded.”
The presidential electors and alternate presidential electors, before 12:00 M. on the day before that fixed by Congress for the electors to vote for president and vice president of the United States, shall notify the governor that they are at the State Capitol and ready at the proper time to fulfill their duties as electors. The governor shall deliver to the electors present a certificate of the names of all the electors. The electors shall meet at 12:00 p.m. in the executive chamber of the State Capitol and shall perform all the duties imposed upon them as electors by the Constitution and laws of the United States and this state.
At the time designated for elector voting, and after all vacant positions have been filled, the secretary of state shall provide each elector with a presidential and a vice-presidential ballot. The elector shall mark the elector’s presidential and vice-presidential ballots with the elector’s votes for the offices of president and vice president, respectively, along with the elector’s signature and the elector’s legibly printed name. Except as otherwise provided by law, each elector shall present both completed ballots to the secretary of state, who shall examine the ballots and accept as cast all ballots of electors whose votes are consistent with their pledges. Except as otherwise provided by law of this state, the secretary of state may not accept and may not count either an elector’s presidential or vice-presidential ballot if the elector has not marked both ballots or has marked a ballot in violation of the elector’s pledge. An elector who refuses to present a ballot, presents an unmarked ballot, or presents a ballot marked in violation of the elector’s pledge vacates the office of elector, creating a vacant position to be filled.
This other vote known as the electoral vote takes place on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December in each of the fifty (50) states. The time of day when the electors gather to conduct this vote may vary from state to state, but the electoral vote happens on the same day in every state, the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December. Another interesting point to mention: this electoral vote is weeks after we the people have already cast a so-called vote.
What happens to these electoral votes? Each state has a certain number of electoral votes associated with their state. There are a total of five-hundred and thirty-eight (538) electoral votes to be exact, and only a total of two-hundred and seventy (270) of these electoral votes are required to determine the person who will become President of the United States.
Knowing the number of electors associated with each of the States, it is mathematically possible to have only eleven (11) states determine who will become the President of the United States.
The following eleven states add up to the two-hundred and seventy (270) electoral votes needed to determine who becomes President of the United States:
California (55 electoral votes)
Texas (38 electoral votes)
New York (29 electoral votes)
Florida (29 electoral votes)
Illinois (20 electoral votes)
Pennsylvania (20 electoral votes)
Ohio (18 electoral votes)
Georgia (16 electoral votes)
Michigan (16 electoral votes)
North Carolina (15 electoral votes)
New Jersey (14 electoral votes)
This next fact may disappoint those of you who reside and vote in Minnesota.
If these eleven (11) states end up having their electoral votes casted for the same candidate, the remaining thirty-nine (39) states would not matter at all. So… that vote you casted in the general election in November as a citizen… what was the purpose of your vote? The answer: NOTHING (when these eleven states have an electoral outcome as such) !!!
The time is NOW to understand that our country does not have a voting process in place whereby every citizen who wants to cast a vote is able to cast a vote and to then have his or her vote be accurately counted towards choosing the person who will become the next President of the United States.
