ANDERSON — Country singer Willie Nelson, former wrestler Jesse Ventura and Mark Harvey, a local bank loan officer, managed to win a few Madison County votes without so much as a single campaign speech.
A tally of the county’s write-in votes cast Nov. 4 for president showed around 150 ballots supporting 30 different people, some real and some imaginary. Some of those votes counted, but most did not.
The two biggest write-in winners were certified independent presidential candidates Ralph Nader, who collected 39 votes, and Chuck Baldwin, who got 29.
Because those tickets (and eight others) registered with the state as write-in candidates, their votes were officially counted, Madison County Election Director Mary Retherford explained Monday.
Handwritten votes for nonregistered candidates were essentially tossed out, she said.
Therefore, the 26 votes for one-time Republican hopeful Ron Paul and the 20 votes for former Democratic candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won’t become part of the county’s official vote count.
Other noncandidates received just a few votes each. Ventura won one, as did Nelson. Republican Mike Huckabee took two. Conservative black activist Alan Keys also grabbed two votes. Three voters put their faith in Jesus on Election Day. Two flocked to Big Bird.
A two-person team spent about three hours tabulating write-in votes, most of which didn’t count, Madison County Clerk Ludy Watkins said.
“The guy that was on the write-in team said this is a waste of taxpayer money, because yes, it is a wasted vote,” Watkins said.
But Union Township resident Dan Clayton didn’t care that his vote for friend Mark Harvey got tossed. Clayton said that while he leans Democrat he couldn’t decide between Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. John McCain, so he wrote down Harvey’s name and then used his cell phone to send a photo to his friend from the voting machine.
“I thought he was joking,” said Harvey, who works for Huntington Bank as a loan officer.
Harvey said he has never run for political office but probably will in the future. If he does, he’s likely to have Clayton’s support.
But when Harvey learned that the one vote he’d captured in this year’s presidential race didn’t count, he just said, “That’s terrible.”
Local News
9:28 p.m.: Write-in voters choose Jesus over Big Bird
Most handwritten votes don’t count
- Local News
-
-
Local churches work with Change This World
While 1.02 billion people are undernourished and 23,483 die of starvation or preventable disease per day in the world, according to Food and Agriculture statistics on Change This World’s website, there are those who are trying to make a difference by decreasing those numbers.
-
Elwood mayor says new administration has had zero firings
Mayor Ron Arnold, who took office Jan. 1, said his administration has not fired a single employee.
-
Got flowers for Valentine's Day?
If you’re a wife or girlfriend reading this story, avert your eyes. This one’s for the men in your life.
-
Snow showers this evening
Our snow chances are greater during the course of this week. Today will begin dry with increasing clouds and highs in the mid 30s.
-
Arrest Log: Feb. 13
Arrests made by Madison County law enforcement on Saturday, based on Madison County Jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers, but are not final until the Madison County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
-
Poll question for Monday, Feb. 13
Vote daily in The Herald Bulletin poll. Today's poll question can be found at the bottom of the homepage on the right side.
-
Getting Together: Anderson Symphony Orchestra seeks musical connections
Getting patrons in the proper mood for Valentine’s Day, the Anderson Symphony Orchestra delighted its audience with both classical and popular melodies of love on Saturday night. From Tchaikovsky to the Beatles, the professional musicians performed tales of love, tragedy and romance.
-
What's Where: Feb. 13
Local meetings and activities are scheduled Monday.
-
Scott Underwood: TV section alterations on the way
Two Sundays ago, The Herald Bulletin introduced a new product called Click, replacing the TV Week section. Like TV Week, Click includes TV listings grids, sports listings and Sudoku and crossword puzzles.
-
Analysis: Exceptional voice seemed lost in Houston's excessive fame
Whitney Houston’s numerous comeback attempts never gelled into anything the public cared about.
- More Local News Headlines
-
