AUGUSTA – Maine’s four electors to the 538-member Electoral College did the “morally” right thing Monday and gave the state’s final four votes for president to Democrat Al Gore, the popular vote winner in Maine and the nation.

In a well-attended State House ceremony in the House of Representatives, Joe Mayo of Augusta, Dorothy Melanson of Falmouth, Christopher Babbidge of Kennebunk and William Phillips of Bangor cast separate votes for Gore and the Democratic vice presidential candidate, Joseph Lieberman.

Knowing that GOP candidate Gov. George W. Bush of Texas will be sworn into office next month without winning the nation’s popular vote, Democratic electors voting in other states Monday may have found the exercise to be a bittersweet experience. But Phillips, husband of Maine state Democratic Chairwoman Gwethalyn Phillips, said he was pleased simply to participate in the ceremony that was observed by Gov. Angus S. King, Maine Supreme Court Chief Justice Daniel Wathen, House Speaker Michael Saxl and Senate President Michael Michaud.

“I’m proud to be part of this system,” said the computer programmer. “We understand you don’t always win and so things might be a little touchier this year, but it’s the system and we go on.”

“I feel privileged to be here,” said Derek Trogdon, a junior at Nokomis Memorial High School in Newport, who noted that the 2000 election “is definitely going to be one of the ones to go down in history.”

Trogdon was among the students from several schools who watched the formalities from the House gallery.

The number of electors in each state is based on the total number of congressional representatives each state has. Maine has two U.S. senators and two U.S. representatives, giving the state four electors to the Electoral College. Political parties and nonparty candidates choose their own electors in Maine. Parties make their selections at their state conventions, and nonparty candidates make their choices when they submit their signatures for ballot qualification.

Each party or candidate must submit the names of four electors, one of whom must be from the 1st Congressional District, the other from the 2nd Congressional District, while the remaining two electors are chosen at-large.

In every state but Maine and Nebraska, all electors are awarded to the winner of the statewide popular vote. In Maine and Nebraska, however, an elector is awarded to the winner of the vote in each congressional district. The remaining at-large electors go to the candidate who collects the most votes statewide.

Gore was Maine’s popular vote winner in both districts so he was awarded all four electors. Gore took 49.1 percent of the vote statewide, compared to Republican George W. Bush’s 44 percent. The Green Party’s Ralph Nader took 5.7 percent.

Elector Joe Mayo, who is also clerk emeritus for the state House of Representatives, said he was “morally bound” to cast his vote for Gore, despite the fact it was clear the Democratic candidate would not be going to the White House.

“Maine’s unique way of distributing electors received much attention during this very close presidential election, said Secretary of State Dan Gwadosky, who added that despite the circumstances of the presidential vote, a knee-jerk reaction to change the Electoral College system should be avoided.

Like Gwadosky and others, Phillips said that despite hard feelings among some Democrats over the results of the presidential election, Americans had proved once again that the country could resolve sharp political differences.

“That’s what allows our country to be great,” he said. “If we didn’t have that, things would soon degrade into chaos. We all accept the results and we all go on, knowing there will be future opportunities.”