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WNIJ and NPR offer special coverage of Election 2016. WNIJ News field reporters and NPR editors nationwide update election news all night.Links to Race ResultsFollow the NPR Live Election BlogLocal County-By-County Election Results

Illinois Democrats Choose Presidential Electors

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The Democratic State Central Committee took less than five minutes to vote on its electors at a meeting in Springfield Monday

Most committee members weren't even there in person; they voted by proxy.

Still, it was meaningful for Menard County Democratic Party Chairwoman Shirley McCombs, who says women have "waited 240 years" to see one of their own potentially elected president.

"I think it's probably the most important event of my life," she said.

McCombs will be one of 20 Democratic electors from Illinois who will get to vote formally for Hillary Clinton, if Clinton wins the popular vote here.

For Michael Madigan, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois and the Illinois House Speaker, the makeup of the Democratic slate of presidential electors shows that his party is more representative of minorities than the GOP.

Madigan says this year's slate includes four African Americans and two Latinos. Two electors supported Bernie Sanders in the primary. "I would argue that this shows that the Democrats in Illinois are clearly working toward inclusion," he said, "contrary to what we see coming from the Donald Trump campaign, which appears to want to pit one person against another, one group against another."

Democratic electors include several current and former lawmakers: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Commissioner Chuy Garcia, and Pam Cullerton, the wife of State Senate President John Cullerton.

Republicans chose their 20 electors in the spring, at that party's state convention. A spokesman did not know the minority composition of the GOP slate.

The Electoral College meets Dec. 19. In Illinois, the voting traditionally has taken place at the state capitol.

Each party selects an elector from each of the state's 18 Congressional districts, as well as two at-large electors. 

Democratic presidential electors from Chicago are Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, Chicago Ald. Carrie Austin, State Rep. Slyvia Tabares, Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, Pam Cullerton, Nancy Shepardson, Vera Davis, William Marovitz, and State Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, and John R. Daley.

Other Democratic electors are State Rep. Michelle Mussman of Schaumburg, Lauren Beth Gash of Highland Park, Kevin Duffy Blackburn of Joliet, former U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello of Belleville, State Rep. Carol Ammons of Urbana, Mark Guethle of North Aurora, Flint Taylor of McLeansboro, John Nelson of Rockford, and Don Johnston of Rock Island.

Republican presidential electors, according to a party list by Congressional district are: Karen Hayes, Dist. 1; Judy Diekelman, Dist. 2; Madelyn Flaherty, Dist. 3; Jerry Kraus, Dist. 4; Ross Morreale,Dist. 5; Andrew Gasser, Dist. 6; Martin Ozinga IV, Dist. 7; Lee Trejo, Dist. 8; Gary Gale, Dist. 9; Mark Shaw, Dist. 10; Marianne DeWitt, Dist. 11;  Michael Neubert, Dist. 12; Fred Floreth, Dist. 13; Steve Kuhn, Dist. 14; Mike Hall, Dist. 15; State Rep. Tom Bennett of Pontiac, Dist. 16; Knox County Republican Party Chairman Wayne Saline, Dist. 17; and Jeff Short, Dist. 18.  The two at-large delegates were not listed. 

Amanda Vinicky moved to Chicago Tonight on WTTW-TV PBS in 2017.