In Minnesota, it appears that Donald Trump and Mike Pence were nearly left off of voter’s ballots due to chaos within the state party’s ranks, seemingly dating back to the state party’s convention. Major party candidates have until Monday-as in this Monday-to get on. “We were waiting for a pledge from one of the alternate electors”.
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As of Thursday morning, a sample ballot on the Minnesota Secretary of State website included Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, third-party anti-Trump conservative candidate Evan McMullin, and even Delta Party candidate Roque De La Fuente, but Trump’s name was nowhere to be found. “The Republican Party of Minnesota has indicated to us they would provide that today”, Secretary of State spokesman Ryan Furlong said in an email Thursday morning.
As it stands right now, it looks as if the Minnesota GOP, in a whirlwind to fix their incompetence, has broken its own constitution to submit paperwork to the Secretary of State, who has told ABC news that Trump and Pence will appear on the ballot.
Addressing reporters at the GOP’s State Fair booth Thursday, Keith Downey asserted that the party submitted the proper paperwork to get Trump and Pence on the ballot immediately following the Republican National Convention July 22.
Former Minnesota Republican operative Michael Brodkorb spotted the omission late Wednesday and detailed the problems in a series of tweets.
Brodkorb tweeted that the state GOP appointed the additional electors – who should have been chosen in May as well – Wednesday night, but suggested that the move might be prohibited because of the state party’s constitution.
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Others chimed in on Twitter to confirm Brodkorb’s report that alternate electors were not chosen at the party’s state convention.
