History 21 The Podcast! - 4.17 The Electoral College with Mel Aanerud
Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution establishes the Electoral College as the method of electing the President and Vice President of the United States. Since the state began, Anoka County has had five such electors. Mel Aanerud of Ham Lake was one of the state electors in 2020.
In this episode Mel explains the history of the Electoral College, how it works, why it was established, and how the 2020 experience was different from others.This episode is part of a program given August 20, 2024 at the Anoka County History Center.
Host Rebecca Desens, ACHS Director, and Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator.
Mel Aanerud serving as Elector during the 2020 election at the Minnesota State Capitol.
Electors from Anoka County
Article II Section 1 of the constitution establishes the Electoral College only ten are selected from Minnesota and they voted for President and Vice President of the United States. In the history of Minnesota, five people have served as Electors for the state.
1868 - Thomas Gleason [T.G.] Jones
T.G. Jones was born at Eastport, Maine, in 1818. For several years he was cashier of the Bank of Farmington, Maine, and served two years in the legislature of that state. In 1855 he went to Dubuque, Iowa, and to Anoka in 1858. He was collector of internal revenue under presidents Lincoln and Johnson and was chosen as a Republican presidential elector in 1868. He was for many years agent for the Phoenix Life Insurance Co., with offices at Anoka and later at Minneapolis. He died Aug. 13, 1869.
1888 - Alvah Eastman
Born in Lowell Maine in 1858, Alvah Eastman was Editor and Proprietor, of the Anoka Herald newspaper. He was also editor of St. Cloud, MN Journal-Press Newspaper, Resident Director of St. Cloud State Teachers College. From 1889 – 90 he served in the Minnesota House of Representatives representing Anoka, Isanti and part of Hennepin Counties living in the City of Anoka. He was republican and an elector on 1888. He died in 1939.
2000 – Glenda Meixell
The first woman elector from the county, Meixell was born in Blue Earth, Minnesota in 1945. Her family moved to the Princeton, Minnesota area in 1947. She spent her working career in the clerical/administrative field. She retired from the Minnesota Department of Education in 2015. She is a Democrat who began attending precinct caucuses in the 1970’s. Glenda was very active on the local and state levels in many organizations including: the Mrs. Jaycees/Jaycee Women/Women of Today and the Jaycees, the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) for many years and remains active in AFSCME Retirees and AFL-CIO Retirees, the League of Women Voters and Daughters of the American Revolution. She serves on the Charter Commission for the City of Coon Rapids, Minnesota and is a Conservation Supervisor for the Anoka County Soil and Water Conservation District.
2016 - Betsy O'Berry
O’Berry was born in Grand Rapids, MI in 1961 and moved to Minnesota permanently in 1984. She was a wife, mom, Certified Public Accountant and business owner. She was active in the DFL party, CPA profession, the local League of Women Voters and was Council President of her church. She was a Democrat who attended her first precinct caucus in 1990, was a delegate to the 2000 National Convention and was honored to be a Presidential Elector in 2016 - and she isn't dead yet!
2020 - Mel Aanerud
Mel Aanerud was born in Columbia Heights in 1943. He was an Army officer, business manager for two minority owned firms before becoming the Deputy Director t=fro the United States Small Business Administration in Minneapolis. He was a Jaycee, Boy Scout Leader, DFL’er in many positions. He served on the Columbia Heights Charter Commission, the Ham Lake Park and Tree Commission for 28 years. He is very active in his church, 21 years on the board, also on the Ham Lake Chamber board and Falcon Bank Community board.