The District of Columbia Board of Elections has now tabulated the write-in vote from the September 14 primary. No one had appeared on the Republican primary ballot for Mayor of Washington. However, incumbent Democratic Mayor Adrian Fenty received enough write-in votes in the Republican primary, so that he may become the Republican nominee, if he accepts the nomination. He must decide by close of business, September 17;and if he accepts, he must change his registration from “Democratic” to “Republican.” Here is the Board’s tabulation. Write-in candidates also received enough votes in the Republican primary for two other partisan District offices. Thanks to Political Wire for the link. UPDATE: this story says D.C. election law would not allow Fenty to accept the Republican nomination, because he would have switched parties too late. However, he could still be a write-in candidate in the November election.
The Mayor, who had been running for re-election, had lost the Democratic nomination on September 14. He had been elected as a Democrat in 2006.
There is still no decision in the lawsuit filed last year, to force the Board of Elections to count the write-in votes for Bob Barr in the 2008 presidential election.
“You have learned well, my son.”
– Bloomburg to Fenty
If Fenty turns down the nod, then do they pass the offer down to the first Republican listed? or does it just end right there?
Fenty defeated the other write-in candidates, so they cannot be the nominee even if Fenty declines. There is no election law principle that says a loser in an election becomes the winner just because the original winner declines to serve.
and the events that got Carol Schwartz onto the Republican ballot in 2002 after Anthony Williams won the write-in vote can’t be repeated since Fenty lost (and the punting only occurs if a candidate topped the write-ins on one side and won a nomination)?
And the “no winner, therefore the city committee picks a nominee” thing doesn’t apply either?
Do ANY of the Elephants in the gerrymander Congress (and their staff folks) and even SCOTUS folks actually reside in Deficit City ???
For folks who have NOT been to Deficit City – there is the daytime Govt area — Congress- SCOTUS – White House / bureaucracy, the yuppie/lobbyist/lawyers NW part — and the remainder NE/SE ghetto death and destruction part — something out of the Dark Age.