SF 524

as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to elections; presidential electors; providing for designation of certain
presidential electors and specifying the duties of presidential electors; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2006, sections 208.03; 208.08.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 208.03, is amended to read:

208.03 NOMINATION OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS.

Presidential electors 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. new text begin Each major political party shall nominate one
presidential elector from each congressional district and two presidential electors from
the state at-large. new text end On or before primary election day the chair of the major political party
shall certify to the secretary of state the names of the persons nominated as presidential
electors, new text begin whether each elector is designated at-large or from a particular congressional
district, and in the latter case, which district the individual represents, new text end the names of
eight alternate presidential electors, and the names of the party candidates for president
and vice president.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 208.08, is amended to read:

208.08 ELECTORS TO MEET AT STATE CAPITOL.

The original, alternate, and substituted presidential electors, at 12:00 M., shall meet
in the executive chamber at 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. new text begin
Each congressional district presidential elector shall cast a ballot for the presidential and
vice-presidential candidates who received the highest number of votes in that congressional
district. Each at-large presidential elector shall cast a ballot for the presidential and
vice-presidential candidates who received the highest number of votes in the state.
new text end

Each elector, as a condition of having been chosen under the name of the party
of a presidential and a vice presidential candidate new text begin who received the highest number of
votes in the elector's congressional district or, in the case of at-large electors, in the state new text end ,
is obligated to vote for those candidates. The elector shall speak aloud or affirm in a
nonverbal manner the name of the candidate for president and for vice president for whom
the elector is voting and then confirm that vote by written public ballot.

If an elector fails to cast a ballot for the presidential or vice presidential candidate
of the party under whose name the elector was chosen, the elector's vote or abstention is
invalidated and an alternate presidential elector, chosen by lot from among the alternates,
shall cast a ballot in the name of the elector for the presidential and vice presidential
candidate of the party under whose name the elector was chosen. The invalidation of an
elector's vote or abstention on the ballot for president or vice president does not apply if
the presidential candidate under whose party's name the elector was chosen has without
condition released the elector or has died or become mentally disabled.