Voters write in creative election alternatives

As campaign ads appeared in the mail, on the television, over the radio, and in the newspapers-with increasing regularity and sometimes with mounting acrimony as Election Day neared-the names of those who threw their hats in the ring became well known to the electorate.
And then there were the write-ins-the everyman, the obscure, the unlikely and the sometimes illogical individuals for which county voters cast last-minute, at-the-polls votes. On that touch-screen ballot displayed on voting machines at each of the county's polling locations, beneath those well-known candidate names, voters had the option of putting forward and casting a vote for a write-in candidate.
Orange County voters, in addition to the customary Democratic and Republican candidates, offered a few other individuals as candidates for Virginia Governor. Jesus Christ made the list of names included as write-in candidates, and so did SpongeBob. Candidates who actually appeared on the ballot in other races were offered as write-ins for governor, and so was "Deeds." That's a perplexing one, since the Democratic gubernatorial candidate was, in fact, Creigh Deeds, whose name was prominently featured at the top of the screen. Incidentally, "Deeds" also earned a spot as the write-in in the District 4 Board of Supervisors race.
"B" was a voter's written-in choice for lieutenant governor, and "Gilmore" and "Sandy Squirrel" won write-in votes, too. (While "Sandy Squirrel" is neither a high-profile candidate nor a popular animated character, Sandy Cheeks, who is of the squirrel persuasion with a down-home Texas drawl, happens to be a good, close personal friend of SpongeBob and resident of SpongeBob's hometown of Bikini Bottom since 1998).
In a somewhat confusing public office switcharoo, Republican candidate for Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell was written in as candidate for 58th District Delegate, and so was "Bill OCHS."
"Who Cares" and "Mr. Krab" were each written on the ballot as candidates for 30th District Delegate. The voter who wrote in "Mr. Krab" as candidate for delegate is anonymous, and so it is unlikely the public will learn if "Mr. Krab" is an actual Virginia resident (it could happen), with the qualification and political aspirations to serve in the Virginia General Assembly.
However, Eugene Harold Krabs, like Sandy Cheeks and SpongeBob [SquarePants], is yet another resident of the illusory and cartoonified Bikini Bottom. In fact, SquarePants is an employee of Krabs' undersea fast food restaurant. And while SquarePants' and Cheeks' popularity could have potentially earned them sufficient votes to gain public office, Krabs' reputation as a result of uncomplimentary network airtime haven't exactly painted a rosy picture of Krabs' character. Krabs has been consistently characterized as greedy and selfish to the extreme, and sensationalist media coverage has cast an unflattering spotlight on Krabs' aggressive rivalry with Bikini Bottom restaurateur Sheldon Plankton.
"More Candidates Pls" won a write-in spot-or simply presented a plaintive cry for diversity-on last Tuesday's ballot in the uncontested race for District 1 Orange County School Board member, but ultimately lost the election (by a landslide). In District 4, someone wrote-in a vote for palindromically amusing "TacoCat" as school board candidate, (who similarly lost).
Donald Duck, better known for his speech impairment than for his stump speeches, made it onto the ballot twice as write-in for candidate for circuit court clerk; his close associate, octogenarian and white-gloved rodent Mickey Mouse likewise earned a spot as a write-in in the same race. (Both elderly Disney personas ultimately lost their bid by an overwhelming percentage to real-life candidate Teresa Carroll).
In all likelihood, campaign headquarters for write-ins SquarePants, Krabs, Duck and Mouse weren't the place for lively celebrations as results rolled in Tuesday night once polls closed. But in some instances in America's election history, (human, nonfictional) write-in candidates were indeed elected into public office.
In fact, the late Strom Thurmond, 48-year Senator from South Carolina made history as the first winner of a major office as a write-in candidate. And former California Congressman Ron Packard won a seat in Congress as a write-in candidate. But Packard and Thurmond's victories notwithstanding, the list of write-in candidates who actually receive enough votes to win an election is extremely short.
According to Orange County Registrar Raymond Cady, when someone writes in a popular counter-culture cartoon character (for example) as a candidate, the intent is not to put an animated talking rodent into office, it's more of general statement about the candidates who actually appear on the ballot.
"Many people dislike seeing someone run for office unopposed and therefore write-in someone else's name as a form of protest," Cady explained.
And while Orange County voters offered a few amusing and creative names as write-ins in almost every race last Tuesday, Cady said there was one race in particular with fewer write-ins than others. And that speaks volumes, he said.
"I think it is interesting and noteworthy that there was only one write-in vote for District 1 board of supervisors," Cady said. "That signifies to me that that people in District 1 took that race very seriously and decided to only pick from the field of candidates that were active in the political process. It also signifies how important people perceived this race especially among the incumbent R. Mark Johnson and the front-runner challenger Shannon Abbs."