« My own bunny | Main | Wowee! »
November 07, 2006
A little election story
To celebrate Election Day (you voted, right?) here's a little story from the Minnesota primaries in September.
What's in a Name? Possibly a Few Primary Votes
In the 4th Congressional District, two Republicans were vying for the party nomination to run against Betty McCollum, the Democratic incumbent who is so unconcerned about winning her seat again that she didn't even really campaign. Obi Sium is a genuine Republican candidate with a platform and a up-by-your-bootstraps immigrant story. His opponent, Jack Shepard, is running a campaign via Internet from Italy, since he's wanted on sexual assault, drug possession, and arson charges, which could result in his arrest if he comes back to the states. Shepard's entire campaign is based on both having the same name as a character from Lost and having a more conventional name on the ballot in still-mostly-white, Scandinavian Minnesota.
The worst part of the story, clearly, is the fact that despite some media coverage of Shepard's true identity prior to the election, he still received almost 5000 votes.
Posted by Laura at November 7, 2006 02:10 PM