HILLSBOROUGH: Ochoteco’s vote to count a bit more

She’s chosen as one of the 14 Democratic electors in the state

   Ida Ochoteco stands ready to cast one of the 270 votes that President Obama needs to win a second term.
   Ms. Ochoteco, a resident of Hillsborough, was elected Sept. 12 to be one of 14 Democratic members of the New Jersey Electoral College. The 14, elected by the state Democratic Party, will cast their votes for Mr. Obama and Vice President Biden in a Dec. 17 ceremony in Trenton if the presidential team wins the popular vote in New Jersey on Nov. 6.
   The vote of more than three million New Jerseyans will only serve, in effect, to choose a slate of electors from either the Democratic or Republican parties. Those 14 votes will go toward the total of 270 needed nationwide to be elected president.
   Ms. Ochoteco serves, with her husband, Al Ojeda, as co-chair of the Somerset County Democratic Committee’s Hispanic American Caucus. Ms. Ochoteco is also the secretary of the Hillsborough Democratic Committee.
   Michael Goldberg, who is chair of the Hillsborough Democratic Committee and a member of the state Democratic Committee, cast his vote for Ms. Ochoteco.
   ”It was thrilling to vote for Ida because she epitomizes the spirit of democracy in action by working hard day in and out to support what she believes to be important to her country, her state, her county and the community she lives in,” said Goldberg.
   ”I am so honored and proud to be one of the 14 people who have been chosen to be a member of the Electoral College,” said Ms. Ochoteco. “I became a proud citizen of this great country two years ago, so I truly appreciate the electoral process and know that voting is a right and a privilege that should not be taken for granted. I urge all to vote in November.”
      The number of electors for each state is determined by the total of the state’s seats in the House of Representatives, plus two members of the U.S. Senate. Therefore, the smallest states have three electors, increasing to 55 for California, the largest state by population.
   New Jersey has 12 members in the House, plus two senators, for a total of 14 electoral votes. Nationwide, there are a total of 538 electoral votes, so 270 represents the necessary majority.