The 15 other presidential candidates
At the end of the Jasper Board of Public Works meeting this morning, one of the officials looked up and said, “Only two weeks left.”
Yep, it’s two weeks before the election is over. An election that will likely have a lot of people scratching their heads at the polls as they attempt to decide between Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump or Gary Johnson for the presidential nod.
But, as was recently noted in a recent letter to the editor, there is another. Well, actually 15 others in Indiana — The Official Write-In Candidates.
On every ballot, there is a blank space for the write-in candidate’s name and although you can write in Chuck Norris, Leslie Knope and Mickey Mouse, those votes don’t count (don’t tell Mr. Norris).
“I have seen Donald Duck, Goofy, Mickey Mouse,” Dubois County Clerk Bridgette Jarboe commented in a Disney vein. “Even other random names like people in the community.”
So, who are these 15 official write-in candidates.
Jarboe says her office is restricted from telling voters since she can only present the ballot as it is approved. She directs people to the Indiana Secretary of State, who has final approval on the write-in hopefuls who get their name in before the July 5 deadline.
Fortunately, we have the list for you if you want to know your other choices.
Jill Stein, Green Party
Darrell L. Castle, Constitution Party
Ray C Brown, an Independent from Evansville
“Rocky” Roque De La Fuenta, Independent
Richard Duncan, Independent
Cherunda Fox, Independent
Tom Hoefling, Independent
Denny C Jackson, Independent
Melissa L Kelly, an Independent from Mishawaka, Ind.
Laurence Kotlikoff, Independent
Joseph Maldonado, Independent
Ric Mullis, Independent
Matthew “None of the Above” Roberts, Independent
Emidio Soltysik, Socialist Party
Monica Moorehead, Workers Party
If none of the official 15 tickle your fancy though, you could write-in Giant Meteor or Mike Pence but neither will count.
If you’re trying to decide between Donald & Clinton , Just think about the one who thinks it’s alright
to murder babies, Then vote your conscience .
AMEN! It’s all in the rhyme of ‘Hill’ and kill. If that offends people, it should – it’s the most offensive part of her, more than all her lies and deceit, corruption and coercion. And actually – sadly, actually – if all the practicing Catholics and those of all faiths really practiced their preaching by walking their talk – the talk of the word and the walk by/from Jesus, actually – voting your conscience would come so naturally, without question or hesitation. A non-issue.
It is incredibly short-sighted to turn elections into single issue elections.
If you want to vote your conscience, that’s fine. But does your conscience advocate vicious verbal attacks on women and minorities, usually unprovoked?
Does your conscience advocate for poor decision making?
Does your conscience allow for candidates who disregard the sanctity of marriage?
If your conscience will not allow you to vote for anyone with those types of issues, then how can you vote for either candidate?
There is none among us that are without sin. That said, when you cast a vote favoring your personal ideology/theology, as opposed to preservation of personal liberty, you are also at risk of finding yourself under the rule of an opposing ideology/theology.