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Kentuckians from across the Commonwealth gathered at the State Capitol today to observe Kentucky’s eight Presidential Electors cast their ballots for President and Vice President of the United States.

“The meeting of the electors is a special opportunity to see our democracy in action,” said Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes. “It’s wonderful to have so many people come together to witness our electors cast their votes on behalf of all Kentuckians.”

Pursuant to the United States Constitution, the President and Vice President are elected by the Electoral College, which is comprised of electors from each state. The number of electors allocated to each state is equal to the number of Senators and Representatives the state has in Congress.

Because Republicans Donald Trump and Mike Pence won Kentucky’s popular vote, Kentucky’s electors are those nominated by the Republican Party:

  • Robert M. Duncan – State-at-Large
  • Jim Skaggs – State-at-Large
  • Dr. Michael Carter – 1st Congressional District
  • Scott J. Lasley – 2nd Congressional District
  • Walter S. Reichert, Sr. – 3rd Congressional District
  • Troy M. Sheldon – 4th Congressional District
  • Mary D. Singleton – 5th Congressional District
  • Dave Disponett – 6th Congressional District

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Throughout the United States, each state’s electors meet on the same day in their respective state capitals to cast their electoral votes. Kentucky is one of 21 states in which the electors are not required to vote for the candidate who won the popular vote. Nonetheless, Trump and Pence received all eight of Kentucky’s electors’ votes for President and Vice President, respectively.

The meeting was held in the Supreme Court’s chambers in the State Capitol in Frankfort. In addition to Grimes, Chief Justice John Minton administered the oath to electors and historian Ron Bryant gave a historical overview of the electoral college. The ceremony also featured performances of The Star-Spangled Banner and My Old Kentucky Home by students from Westridge Elementary in Frankfort and the Pledge of Allegiance from students from J. Graham Brown School in Louisville.

The electors’ votes will be transmitted to the President of the U.S. Senate, who on January 6, 2017, will open and read before both houses of Congress the electoral votes from each state. The candidates with the most electoral votes will be declared the next President and Vice President of the United States.

The State Board of Elections on Tuesday, Nov. 22,  certified vote totals from the Nov. 8 general election and issued certificates of election to candidates who received the highest number of votes, completing the official administration process of the statewide election. Detailed official results are available at GoVoteKY.com.

Approximately 1.95 million Kentuckians, 59% percent of registered voters, cast ballots in the general election, said Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky’s chief election official.

“Our election administrators – more than 15,000 across Kentucky, including the State Board of Elections, county boards of elections, county clerks, and precinct election officers – are the backbone of this process, and again, they led a successful election,” said Grimes. “I am deeply grateful for their hard work and dedication to ensuring our elections run efficiently and fairly.”

Grimes announced that the Meeting of Presidential Electors will be held on Dec. 19 at 11:30 a.m. at the Supreme Court Room in Frankfort. The electors cast the official votes of Kentucky for President and Vice President of the United States.

The Kentucky Election Integrity Task Force also met Tuesday to review the administration of the election. The members, which include U.S. Attorney’s offices, the FBI, the Kentucky Attorney General’s office, and Kentucky State Police, said the high-profile election was largely free from issue or problems. Law enforcement officials are currently reviewing election complaints they have received to determine which may merit further investigation. Grimes chairs the task force, which she brought together for the first time in 2012.

Pursuant to Kentucky law, the Office of the Attorney General will randomly select six counties in which it will conduct a post-election audit. The drawing was scheduled for last Tuesday.

The State Board of Elections led a post-election meeting of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Advisory Committee to assess current voting processes and discuss possible improvements. Kentucky is one of the few states in the nation which conducts regular meetings in accordance with the federal voting law passed in 2002.

“I have been a committed advocate for making sure every Kentuckian – especially those with disabilities – are able to cast their ballots independently and in private,” said Grimes. “Voting is a cherished right, and I’m proud to help preserve it for all citizens.”

Grimes continues to push for legislation that would make it easier for persons who qualify by age, disability, and illness to vote absentee in-person. The proposal enjoys the support of disability advocates and has the recommendation of the HAVA Advisory Committee.

Mike_PenceDonald Trump’s campaign appears to be signaling that Indiana’s Governor Mike Pence is dropping his re-election bid in order to fill the position of the Republican front-runner’s VP.

Two other top choices for the vice-presidential candidacy, Sen. Joni Ernst and Sen. Bob Corker have both withdrawn from the list of potential picks.  This comes after rumors have been swirling that Pence would be the choice, fueled by talk that other potential running mates were scheduled for speaking engagements at the upcoming Republican National Convention in Cleveland while Pence was not scheduled.

Pence represents a social conservative position on the GOP White House ticket.  Republican strategists believe that he will draw more rank-and-file Republicans as well as providing fundraising power and conservative credibility on a range of issues on which some may have felt that Trump wavered.

Pence was facing tomorrow’s deadline to decide whether or not he would seek reelection as governor of Indiana.  This means that the Indiana Republican State Committee will determine the GOP candidate for governor for the first time in the state’s history.  The 22-member committee has 30 days to chose a replacement once Pence officially withdraws from a reelection bid.

A formal announcement of the VP pick is expected in Manhattan tomorrow ahead of the convention, which begins next week.  Following yesterday’s tragic events in Nice, France, the Trump campaign decided to postpone the announcement conference.  Trump, instead, opted to tweet out the announcement:

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