Minnesota's Electoral College: Key Representatives And Their Roles

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In the United States, the President is elected by the Electoral College, with each state having a set number of electors equal to the number of its Congressional delegation. Minnesota has 10 electors, which is based on its two senators and eight members of the House of Representatives. The party that wins the popular vote in the state gets all 10 spots. In 2020, the electors in Minnesota voted for Joe Biden, and in 2024, Kamala Harris won the state's popular vote.

Characteristics Values
Number of Electoral College votes 10
Number of Electors 10
How Electors are chosen Each party with a presidential candidate submits a list of electors. The party that wins the popular vote in the state gets all 10 spots.
Who the Electors are St. Cloud State University graduate Nancy Larson is on the DFL's list of electors.
When Electors meet The first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December
Where Electors meet The State Capitol
Who certifies the Electors The governor
Who counts the votes Congress

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Minnesota's 10 Electoral College votes

The number of electors in each US state reflects the number in its congressional delegation. Minnesota has two US senators and eight members of the US House, and therefore 10 electors. Each party chooses 10 electors, and the party that wins the presidential popular vote in the state gets all 10 spots.

Minnesota has had 10 electoral votes since the 1964 election. It was projected to lose one after the 2020 Census, but it edged out New York for the 435th congressional district. The state peaked at 12 votes from 1912 to 1928, and it had just four at its inaugural presidential election in 1860.

The state canvassing board meets on the 16th day after the state general election. At that meeting, the board opens and canvasses the returns made to the secretary of state for presidential electors and alternates, prepares a statement of the number of votes cast for the persons receiving votes for these offices, and declares the person or persons receiving the highest number of votes for each office duly elected. The governor then transmits a Certificate of Election to each person declared elected.

On the day before the day fixed by Congress for the electors to vote for president and vice president, the electors notify the governor that they are at the state capitol and ready to fulfill their duties. The governor delivers a certificate containing the names of all the electors to the electors present. On the day fixed by Congress to vote, the electors meet at 12:00 pm in the executive chamber of the state capitol and perform all the duties imposed upon them by the US Constitution and the state of Minnesota.

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How the Electoral College works in Minnesota

The Electoral College is a body of electors that elects the President of the United States. The number of electors a state gets is equal to the number of US representatives and US senators it has. Minnesota has eight congressional districts, each with a representative, and two senators, which gives it ten electors.

In Minnesota, each party chooses ten electors. The party that wins the presidential popular vote in the state gets all ten spots. Since Biden won Minnesota in 2020, the Democrats had ten electors.

The state canvassing board meets on November 21 to certify the electors, who are then notified by the governor by December 11. The electors meet at the State Capitol on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December, which this year is December 17, to formally cast their electoral votes for president and vice president.

In the United States, most federal and state-level officials are elected via plurality vote in single-winner contests. In Minnesota, state legislators (including senators and representatives) are elected via plurality vote in single-winner contests. Minnesota's governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, auditor, and attorney general are also elected via plurality vote in single-winner contests.

Some critics of the Electoral College point out that it was formed so that southern states could benefit in terms of representation from their slave populations without giving the enslaved people access to that representation. The agreement reached at the 1787 Constitutional Convention was that each enslaved human would count as three-fifths of a person when representation was determined based on population. As a result, southern states got additional members of Congress (and electoral votes) based on the number of enslaved people they had, despite the slaves themselves not being allowed to vote.

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Who are Minnesota's electors?

In the United States, the President is elected by the Electoral College via majority vote in a single-winner contest. Each state's number of electors is equal to the number of its Congressional delegation, which is based on census data. Thus, each state gets one vote for every member of the U.S. House of Representatives and its two senators.

Minnesota has had 10 electoral votes since 1964, the number reflecting its two senators and eight members of the U.S. House. In Minnesota, each party chooses 10 electors, and the party that wins the presidential popular vote in the state gets all 10 spots. The state canvassing board meets on the 16th day after the state general election to open and canvass the returns made to the secretary of state for presidential electors and alternates. The governor then delivers a certificate of the names of all the electors to the electors present. On the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December, the electors meet at the State Capitol to formally cast their electoral votes for president and vice president.

In 2020, the electors in Minnesota voted for Joe Biden, and in 2024, Kamala Harris won the state by 4% over Donald Trump.

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How are electors chosen?

The United States Electoral College is a group of 538 people responsible for electing the President and Vice President of the United States. The number of electors in each state reflects the number of senators and members of the House of Representatives in its congressional delegation. For example, California, with 2 senators and 52 members of the House of Representatives, has 54 electors. Minnesota, with 2 senators and 8 members of the House of Representatives, has 10 electors.

Each state is free to determine its method for selecting electors. In Minnesota, each party chooses 10 electors. The party that wins the presidential popular vote in the state gets all 10 spots. The electors are then certified by the governor by December 11. They meet at the State Capitol on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December to formally cast their electoral votes for president and vice president.

Electors are generally chosen to recognize their service and dedication to their political party. They may be state elected officials, state party leaders, or people with a personal or political affiliation with their party's presidential candidate. In the Democratic Party, each congressional nominee and each US Senate nominee designate one elector. In the Republican Party, the nominees for Governor, Lt. Governor, Treasurer, Controller, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and US Senate at the last two elections are electors. In the American Independent, Green, and Libertarian parties, electors are nominated at their state convention, and the state chair certifies their names and residence addresses to the Secretary of State. In the Peace and Freedom Party, electors are nominated at their state convention, and the party chair certifies the list to the Secretary of State. Electors in this party must be 50% women and 50% men.

It is rare for electors to disregard the popular vote by casting their electoral vote for someone other than their party's candidate. Electors are expected to vote for the presidential and vice-presidential candidates who received the highest number of votes in their state's general election.

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The role of the Minnesota Secretary of State

Minnesota has 10 electoral votes, and each party chooses 10 electors. The incumbent secretary of state of Minnesota is Steve Simon, a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. The secretary of state is elected by the people on Election Day in November and takes office on the first Monday of the next January. The secretary of state is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the Minnesota government.

The secretary of state is keeper of the Great Seal of the State of Minnesota and is responsible for filing, certifying, and preserving the enrolled laws of the Legislature, executive orders, commissions, and proclamations issued by the governor, state agency rules, official oaths and bonds of state officials, and miscellaneous municipal boundary records. The secretary also processes notary public applications and registers various business associations, including corporations, cooperatives, and limited liability companies.

The secretary of state has several other responsibilities, including overseeing statewide elections and operating the statewide voter registration system. The office strives to ensure Minnesota's election system is fair, open, impartial, and secure. The secretary also reviews, approves, and files articles of incorporation and amendments for businesses and nonprofit organizations operating in the state.

Additionally, the secretary of state administers the open appointments process for state agencies and Safe at Home, Minnesota's address confidentiality program for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other types of crime. The secretary also annually publishes the Minnesota Legislative Manual, a compilation of federal, state, and local government information.

Frequently asked questions

Minnesota has 10 electoral votes.

Electoral votes are distributed based on the Census. Each state gets one vote for every member of the U.S. House of Representatives and its two senators.

Each party chooses 10 electors. The party that wins the presidential popular vote in the state gets all 10 spots. For example, in 2020, the Democrats had 10 electors as Biden won Minnesota.

Each party with a presidential candidate submits a list of electors. Electors are chosen based on the popular vote.

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