Secretary of State Sam Reed acts as master of ceremonies.

Washington state’s chapter of the Electoral College held its traditional post-presidential-election meeting Monday, and the tension was thick as the ballots were counted. Well, not really — but it makes a better story. Washington’s 12 presidential electors, all named by the state Democratic party, gathered in the reception room at the state Capitol for what really amounts to a constitutionally-mandated formality, the election of a president and a vice president.

Filling out the ballots: Nary a dissenting vote in the room.

Twelve votes for President Barack Obama. Twelve votes for Vice President Joe Biden. And poof, the work was done. Washington is among the 48 states that use a winner-take-all system, meaning that the candidate who gets the most votes in the general election is awarded all of the state’s electoral votes — except in the rare case of a faithless elector. Back in 1976, elector Mike Padden, now a state senator from Spokane, cast his ballot for Ronald Reagan, despite the fact that Gerald Ford carried the state. It’s the stuff of legend today, and the fact that 36 years later people are still talking about it ought to give you a clue just how collegial these meetings really are.

Fact is, the popular vote for president technically doesn’t count — it’s the electoral college vote that matters. It takes 270 votes to elect a president, and technically speaking, electors can vote for anyone they choose. But while the U.S. Constitution doesn’t place any restrictions on the behavior of electors, the state of Washington does. Anyone who pulls a Padden these days faces a $1,000 fine. Which explains why everyone gives the same answer on this college exam.

The Class of ’12: Looking mighty collegiate!

Here’s the press release from the Secretary of State’s office:

State’s Presidential Electors Vote for Obama/Biden Ticket

OLYMPIA — Reflecting the wishes of the majority of Washington voters in November’s General Election, the 12 members of Washington’s Electoral College cast their votes Monday for the Democratic ticket of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden.

The state’s Electoral College voted in the State Reception Room of the Legislative Building in Olympia.

“The Electoral College is a key step in how America chooses its President and Vice President,” said Secretary of State Sam Reed, who presided over the voting. “While it lacks the attention and excitement of last November’s popular election, the Electoral College vote carries the same impact.”

“I am honored to bear witness today to the election of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden,” stated Gov. Chris Gregoire. “This ceremony, as with Electoral College votes across the country, reflects our dedication to the democratic process and commitment to open and transparent government.”

Each state has a number of electors equal to the number of senators and representatives it has in the U.S. Congress. Of Washington’s 12 presidential electors, one is from each of the state’s 10 congressional districts. Those 10 were selected at congressional district caucuses last May. The two at-large electors were chosen at the state Democratic Party convention in Seattle last June.

The 12 electors submitted by the state Democratic Party are:

1^st District: Grifynn Clay of Snohomish;

2^nd District: Dave Gossett of Mountlake Terrace;

3^rd District: Kathleen Lawrence of Vancouver;

4^th District: George Fearing of Kennewick;

5^th District: Rick Lloyd of Spokane Valley;

6^th District: Gail Kirk of Tacoma;

7^th District: Maria Ehsan of Seattle;

8^th District: Elizabeth Satiacum of Olympia;

9^th District: Georgia Spencer of Seattle; and

10^th District: Harvey Brooks of University Place.

At-large electors are Heather Fralick of Shoreline and Alec Stephens of Seattle.

Fralic was chosen by the electors as the presiding officer during the vote.

Dec. 17 was the date for electors to meet in each of the states to cast votes for president and vice president. In all states but two (Maine and Nebraska), the winner of the popular vote in that state wins all of the electoral votes in that state.

The document signed by the state’s 12 electors will be mailed to Vice President Biden’s office and the U.S. Archivist. On Jan. 6, Congress will convene in a joint session to count the votes cast by the Electoral College. Obama will be inaugurated as president Jan. 20 in a private swearing-in ceremony. Because the 2013 presidential Inauguration Day falls on a Sunday, the public inauguration ceremony will take place Jan. 21.

Obama defeated Republican nominee Mitt Romney 50.9 percent to 47.4 percent in the nationwide popular vote on Nov. 6. Obama is estimated to have amassed 332 electoral votes compared to Romney’s 206. Obama needed 270 electoral votes to win the presidential election.

Obama gathered 56.16 percent of the vote in Washington, received 1,755,396 votes. Romney and running mate Paul Ryan pulled in 1,290,670 votes (41.29 percent).

For more information about the Electoral College process, open these links to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the National Archives and the State Elections Division.

EAC: http://www.eac.gov/assets/1/Documents/The%20Electoral%20College%20%28Jan.%202011%29.pdf

National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/

Elections Division: https://wei.sos.wa.gov/agency/osos/en/Pages/electoral_college.aspx

Your support matters.

Public service journalism is important today as ever. If you get something from our coverage, please consider making a donation to support our work. Thanks for reading our stuff.