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2004: An unknown elector, Minnesota
Elector for: Kerry (Democrat)
instead cast a ballot for Senator John Edwards, Senator John Kerry's running mate.
Note: It is believed that one of the Electors evidently mixed up
his/her "John"s and inadvertently voted for Edwards for both
President and Vice President. Minnesota does not require the Electors to sign
either of their ballots. Once gathered at the meeting place, the electors simply deposit pieces of paper with
their respective "choices" for each Office into a ballot box,
after which these ballots are counted. All 10 of Minnesota's votes for Vice President went to Senator John Edwards. Edwards, thus, becomes only the second vice-presidential candidate to have ended up with more Electoral Votes than the presidential candidate heading the National Ticket on which he ran; moreover, Edwards received both a vote for President and a vote for Vice-President from the same Presidential Elector!
2000: Barbara Lett-Simmons, District of Columbia
Elector for: Gore (Democrat)
instead cast a blank ballot.
Note: Ms. Lett-Simmons cast a blank ballot to protest what many have referred to as D.C.'s "colonial status" (the fact that, although the District of Columbia is incorporated within the United States and is represented by an elected Territorial Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, it has no voting rights on the floor of Congress; the District's motor vehicle license plates have long had, as a slogan, 'Taxation Without Representation').
1988: Margaret Leach, West Virginia
Elector for: Dukakis (Democrat)
instead voted for: Lloyd Bentsen (Dukakis' running mate)
Note: Ms. Leach cast her Vice Presidential vote for Dukakis instead of Bentsen as well.
1976: Mike Padden, Washington Elector for: Ford (Republican)
instead voted for: Ronald Reagan (challenged Ford's GOP nomination) Note: Mr. Padden did, however, vote for Ford's running mate, Robert Dole; Dole thus became the first Vice-Presidential candidate to receive more Electoral Votes than the top of the National Ticket on which he was running.
1972: Roger L. MacBride, Virginia Elector for: Nixon (Republican)
instead voted for: John Hospers (Libertarian)
Note: Mr. MacBride was the Libertarian candidate for
President four years later- in 1976. Meanwhile: Richard Nixon, thus, became the first person to run for President three times and, in all three elections he contested as his Party's standard-bearer, never received all the votes of those Electors pledged to him through their respective "appointments" via the General Election itself.
1968: Lloyd W. Bailey, North Carolina
Elector for: Nixon (Republican)
instead voted for: George Wallace (American Independent)
Note: This led to the (so far) only time the provisions of 3
U.S.C. 15 re: an Electoral Vote not "regularly given" was dealt with
formally by Congress. Objections were raised by a number of Senators
and Congressmen to the counting of North Carolina in the tabulation
Joint Session of the 91st Congress (6 January 1969)- the two houses
immediately "rose" to debate and vote separately and "concurred" that
Dr. Bailey's vote should be counted as cast, after which the
tabulation Joint Session resumed to complete counting the Electoral
Vote of the 1968 Presidential Election. It is this result which has
been since deemed to have legitimized the "Faithless Elector"- that is,
since Congress once actually voted on the issue, it would be hard to
claim a "Faithless Elector" had somehow violated Federal law (though,
of course, Congress retains the power not to accept a
"faithless" Electoral Vote under 3 U.S.C. 15).
1960: Henry D. Irwin, Oklahoma
Elector for: Nixon (Republican)
instead voted for: Harry Flood Byrd, Sr. (supported by "Unpledged" Democrats)
1956: W.F. Turner, Alabama Elector for: Stevenson (Democrat)
instead voted for: Walter B. Jones, an Alabama judge.
1948: Preston Parks, Tennessee
Elector for: Truman (Democrat) instead voted for: Strom Thurmond (State's Rights ["Dixiecrat"])
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