Electors cast their votes

OLYMPIA — It was a bittersweet moment for Washington’s Electoral College members Monday, casting the state’s entire bloc of 11 electoral votes for the losing Democratic candidate, John Kerry.

Several delegates said the system is antiquated and potentially harmful, but none cast a protest vote for anyone but Kerry. The state had one of those rare “faithless electors” in 1976, when Mike Padden, now a Spokane County Superior Court judge, voted for Ronald Reagan rather than state winner Gerald Ford.

There was plenty of pomp, but no suspense, Monday as all 11 electors raised their hands to affirm that Kerry was their choice for president and, a few minutes later, that Sen. John Edwards was their pick for vice president.

“This is the fastest thing I’ve ever been to in Olympia — done in a little over 20 minutes,” quipped Todd Donovan, a political science professor who served as an alternate. “It’s kind of anti-climactic.”

The ceremony, played out at capitols across the nation, reflected the nation’s dual track system of determining the winners. Washington and nearly all states award their entire bloc of electoral votes, equal to the number in their congressional delegations, to the statewide winner of the popular vote.

The Kerry-Edwards ticket won about 53 percent of the state vote, but got 100 percent of the electoral votes.