(City Pages) It’s their fault.

Earlier this year at the state Republican convention in Duluth, the party picked its 10 electoral college voters. The state party was also supposed to choose 10 alternate electoral college names. It didn’t.

Therein lies the problem.

What could’ve been an in-house mess went public yesterday, when blogger and former Republican Party of Minnesota official Michael Brodkorb noticed that something didn’t look right about the Secretary of State’s sample ballot. Donald Trump wasn’t on it.

Honest to FSM, could it become any more of a clown show?

The state’s Republicans are now scrambling, after realizing they hadn’t picked and therefore submitted the 10 alternate electoral voters.

The party has attempted to piecemeal a solution, appointing alternate electors in a hastily called meeting Wednesday night, according to Brodkorb. (State GOP officials could not be reached for comment Thursday morning.) That solution defied party protocol, which calls for a 10-day notice for any on-the-fly party convention.

But Brodkorb suggests that by circumventing the process, the Republican Party exposed itself to possible legal challenges that would keep Trump’s name off the ballot. Party leaders should “hope and pray” their last-minute appointment doesn’t bother any party members.

Well, I guess it can. Pass the popcorn.

Oh, and the highlighting is mine.

And butter on the popcorn, please. No, not that crap they serve at movie theaters. Real butter.