Alabama's Electors Cast Ballots for President and Vice President

Alabama's Electors for President and Vice President of the United States met Monday in Montgomery to cast their ballots for George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney, respectively. In doing so, they fulfilled their obligation under Amendment 12 to the U.S. Constitution, which states, in part:

The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for President and Vice President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate;...

Alabama's nine Electors were elected in the November 2 election, in which Electors pledged to Bush-Cheney got 1,176,394 votes and those pledged to Kerry-Edwards received 693,933. (Section 17-19-2 of the Code of Alabama provides that "A vote for a candidate for President or Vice-President shall be counted as a vote for the electors of the political party or independent body by which such candidates were named, as listed on the certificate of nomination or nominating petition." The Republican Party's electors were chosen in the June primary election.)

The Electors were Martha Stokes of Carrollton, State Auditor Beth Chapman of Shelby County, Jefferson County Commissioner Bettye Fine Collins, state Republican Party Chairman Marty Connors of Birmingham, state Rep. Mike Hubbard of Auburn, and Republican Party members Martha Hosey of Baldwin County, Floyd Lawson of Cullman County, Elbert Peters of Huntsville, and Will Sellers of Montgomery.