Amy Klobuchar, Melvin Carter cast Minnesota delegation votes at DNC

Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter cast the state delegation's official votes Tuesday night as the Democratic National Convention officially nominated Joe Biden for president.

Billed as a "Roll Call Across America," the virtual process took convention viewers on a 30-minute tour of all 57 states and territories, where local activists, workers and political leaders represented their home delegations.

Klobuchar appeared at the Nicollet Island Pavilion on the Mississippi riverfront in Minneapolis. Carter addressed the convention from downtown St. Paul.

The traditional roll call of the states ordinarily happens on the convention floor, with the mounting delegate votes from each state becoming an emotional crescendo for the winning candidate, even if everyone has long known the eventual outcome.

Part of the tradition is also for the delegations to playfully outdo each other in extolling the glorious histories and features of their states.

With the entire convention now happening virtually due to the pandemic, the votes this year were cast at inside living rooms, at businesses and in front of iconic landmarks in cities and towns nationwide.

While Minnesota Democrats were represented by two office-holders (and in Klobuchar's case, a former presidential contender), some other states featured teachers, nurses, firefighters, meatpackers, chefs, fishermen and at least one bricklayer.