Two Dead Candidates Elected To Positions In Florida, Alabama
Two dead candidates who were still on the ballot on Tuesday were elected to positions, though for obvious reasons they will not take office.
Both Florida Democrat Earl K. Wood and Alabama Republican Charles Beasley passed away weeks before the November 6 election, but they were still able to beat their opponents by a comfortable margin, reports The Chicago Tribune.
Wood, who was 96, died on October 15 from natural causes while seeking his 12th term as Orange County Tax Collector in Orlando, Florida.
He initially announced he would be stepping down but changed his mind after a longtime political foe announced plans to seek his seat.
Wood won re-election by taking 56 percent of the vote to his opponent’s 44 percent, notes Yahoo! News.
Meanwhile, Beasley, 77, passed away on October 12 of a suspected brain aneurysm while trying to regain his old seat on the Bibb County Commission in central Alabama.
The late Republican politician won 52 percent of the vote, while his his Democratic opponent took the loss hard. Commissioner Walter Sansing stated, “It is a touchy situation. When you are running against a dead man, you are limited as to what you can say.”
Sansing also blamed people voting a straight Republican ticket for his loss. For Orlando’s open seat, Scott Randolph was elected by his party to receive votes cast for Wood. In Alabama, the governor will appoint a new commissioner after input from local Republicans.
