Elections

Trump almost missed being on the ballot in Minnesota

By ELIZABETH KOH

ekoh@mcclatchy.com

August 25, 2016 02:14 PM

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump did not appear on a sample ballot posted on the Minnesota Secretary of State website. Gerald Herbert AP

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump nearly lost his place on Minnesota’s ballot because of paperwork that had not been submitted by the state GOP.

City Pages, an alternative weekly in the state, reported that a sample ballot posted to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website did not have Trump or running mate Mike Pence listed as candidates for the presidency, though several other candidates including Hillary Clinton were present.

Michael Brodkorb, a former state party deputy chair, first noticed the omission Wednesday and had tweeted at the Secretary of State asking why Trump’s name was missing.

August 24, 2016
">

The answer, Brodkorb told the weekly, was that the Republican Party of Minnesota had not submitted paperwork due Aug. 29 that required the names of ten alternate electors in addition to the presidential candidate’s name, the vice president’s name and those of the ten presidential electors that were chosen at the party convention in May.

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.

August 25, 2016
">

Nevertheless, a spokesman for the Minnesota Secretary of State said the paperwork was being accepted Thursday to add Trump’s name to the ballot.

"We just received the last item," communications director Ryan Furlong told Politico. "We were waiting for a pledge from one of the alternate electors. The filing is complete and the Republican ticket should be listed on our site shortly.”

The other presidential candidates on the ballot include Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson, Green Party nominee Jill Stein, and the nominees of the Constitution Party, Legal Marijuana Now Party and Socialist Workers Party.

Evan McMullin, an independent conservative anti-Trump candidate, also gained access to the ballot as the Independence Party’s nominee.