Minnesota elector breaks ranks, votes for Edwards, not Kerry

[Chimpanzee]

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

Associated Press
December 13, 2004

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.''

[BlueEyedSon]

1. WTF?

:wtf:

[WilliamPitt]

2. My brain just exploded

Democrats are being arrested for election fraud, and electors are breaking away from Kerry.

Someone kick me. Hard.

[MrUnderhill]

9. Who was arrested???

And for what?

[Freddie Stubbs]

29. Absentee ballot fraud, obstruction of justice, perjury

'Old-time politics' led to scandal, official says


By Eunice Trotter
[e-mail]
December 11, 2004


The arrests this week of the longtime Democratic Party chairman in Madison County and two others on voter fraud charges marks the end of an era, according to Prosecutor Rodney Cummings.

"What we've had here is some old-time politics," Cummings said after Madison County Democratic Party Chairman Thomas J. Ashley, Ashley's son-in-law and a family friend were charged with multiple counts of fraud. "Some people think it's 1965, and it's just not going to fly anymore."

Cummings said the charges signal a change in Anderson, a Democratic stronghold of 60,000 people. National Democrats dating to President John F. Kennedy have courted the city.

Democrats say the charges against Ashley, Kyle Barber and Mindy Zeller are political.

more: http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/201444-5295-009.html

[Bryan]

15. You're not the person who needs a kicking, Mr. Pitt

:mad:

[Guarionex]

25. What a damn moron!!!

With friends like these, who needs enemies!

Damnit, dammit, dammit...note to self: American democracy cannot be trusted in the hand of republicans, nor spinless democrats...only in the hands of the people!

[Freddie Stubbs]

27. Worse than a moron...

...a moran.

[Bill McBlueState]

3. A mistake?

You've known for weeks you're going to have this job, for months that you *might* have the job. You're selected because you've played some important role in the Democratic party; you're not just some dumbass off the street. And you make a mistake???

How hard is this?

[mzmolly]

7. They voted for Veep that day too so?

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

I imagine it was just an error.

[bluestateguy]

4. Our party needs to be willing to formally expel members

European political parties do it. Why can't we?

[Freddie Stubbs]

31. No one knows who the faithless elector is

Do we expell all 10 of them just to be sure? :shrug:

[dweller]

5. interesting..

was there also a vote for Kerry for VP?


dp

[EMunster]

6. ...yea, but he THOUGHT he'd pressed the button for Kerry...(developing)...

[KyndCulture]

8. WTF, I say.. W T F???

I thought we had our shit together here in Minnesota?!

Jeez. BOOOOM there went my brain.

[Carolab]

13. Stupid shit if they did

wrong person, wrong time to lodge a protest, dummy

[NoPasaran]

10. Damn! Who was counting the electoral votes? n/t

[Psyop Samurai]

11. ...expecting Rod Serling any minute now...

We have entered the Twilight Zone. It's the only possible explanation.

:wtf:

[MrUnderhill]

12. The part of the story you HAVEN'T heard yet...

The ballots were tabulated by a Diebold computer.
Two of the electors inexplicably voted for Bush as well.

[papau]

16. LOL

:-)

[woodsprite]

18. OK you guys! Today is not a great day to joke around....

You are joking --- right? I just got back from a meeting and this is the first thing I see.

[uppityperson]

28. hahahahaha

[Tom Rinaldo]

14. If Ohio got overturned, how much would Kerry win by?

In other words, does he need that vote in the event the Ohio electors get replaced by a Kerry slate?

[rockedthevoteinMA]

20. Kerry's total right now is 251 - if you subtract the vote for

Edwards. So if Ohio gets flipped (20 votes) he'll get 271. There's also the recount in NM - which has 5 votes.

* is at 286 - so if you subtract the Ohio votes he'll be at 266.

So no, Kerry wouldn't need that one vote if Ohio gets flipped.

[Tom Rinaldo]

21. Thanks. Lately my brain has a paranoid slant embedded lol n/t

[rockedthevoteinMA]

22. I know the feeling - no problem! n/t :)

[Carolab]

17. Can you say retarded?

mistake or protest, either way, just retarded. My great state. LOL

[sabra]

19. Wish they made those kind of mistakes in OH... n/t

[Freddie Stubbs]

23. So much for a paper trail

:dunce:

But at least they didn't vote for Nader.

[mulethree]

24. Possibly intentional? 3rd option if it gets decided in congress.

If nobody has 269 electoral votes then congress picks from the
top3 electoral finishers?

Now there are 3 options, though I would think that if this were the intention, then they would have voted Kerry for VP where it sounds like they voted Edwards/Edwards.

[Freddie Stubbs]

26. Guess who wins if Congress decides

Here's a hint: Republicans control both Houses of Congress.

[moedred]

30. Sigh. Time for somebody

to quietly pack their bags and head to Florida. Hopefully their children are above average.