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Some fun election facts and seats that are up for grabs

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FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – The primary election is coming up next Tuesday, May 7.  Do you plan on voting in this election?  Do you know who is on the ballot?  There is a lot of history surrounding our election process here in the United States.

The Election Day process is different today than in the past.  Also, other countries differ from the United States in their voting laws.  For instance:

  • Drinking was a major part of elections.  According to ConstitutionCenter.org, George Washington spent 50 pounds, his entire campaign budget, on 160 gallons of liquor and served it to 391 voters.  In England, buying votes with booze was a common custom. Virginia tradition was to roll barrels of liquor onto the courthouse lawns and polling places on Election Day.
  • Everyone knew your political opinion 200 years ago. Crows of people, voters and non-voters would gather at polling places and watch as voters, one-by-one, stepped out of the crowd and cast their vote aloud.
  • The weather and farmers played a role in when elections were held.  Farmers were not able to travel very easily until harvest was over.  Also, winter caused a problem as traveling was difficult, as a result, elections took place late in the fall.
  • Voting is the law in Australia.  At 18 years of age, a citizen is required to register to vote and to vote in federal elections.  Anybody that does not vote could be fined and also can result in criminal charges.
  • 16-year-old teenagers can vote in Brazil.  Not unlike Australia, you are required to vote in Brazil and you can do so at the age of 16.  Citizens can be fined if they do not vote.
  • North Korea does hold elections.  99.7 percent of citizens show up for North Korean elections.  However, everyone on the ballot was selected ahead of time by the governing party.  Voters would drop a printed out list of names in a box to indicate their support.  There was however, a separate box where voters could use to register their rejection of one of the candidates.  Oddly enough, the chosen candidates received 100% of the vote which means either their votes were not counted or nobody put anything in the other rejection box.
  • Ohio Constitution has a “No Idiots” clause. According to Mentalfloss.com, Article V, Section 6 of Ohio’s Constitution states “No idiot, or insane person, shall be entitled to the privileges of an elector.”
  • Texas allows you to use a gun license as identification for voting, but not a student I.D. card.
  • America has only one non-elected President.  The only President and Vice President not elected to the office was Gerald Ford.  Richard Nixon appointed Ford as Vice President after Spiro Agnew resigned.  Nine months later Nixon resigned and Gerald Ford took his place as President.

Do you know who is on your ballot?  Here is a list of candidates in the area primary election.

Fort Wayne

Mayor

Democratic:  Tom Henry (incumbent), Gina Burgess, Tommy Schrader

Republican: David Roach, John Crawford, Tim Smith

Fort Wayne City Clerk

Democratic: Katie Zuber

Republican: Lana Keesling

City Council

At-large (3 seats)

Democratic: MaryClare Akers, Michelle Chambers, Steve Corona, Glynn Hines, Curtis Nash

Republican: Michael Barranda (incumbent), Thomas Freistroffer (incumbent), Nathan Hartman, Eric Tippmann, Joseph Townsend.

District 1

Republican: Paul Ensley (incumbent)

District 2

Republican: Russ Jehl (incumbent)

District 3

Democratic: Palermo Galindo, John Henry

Republican: Thomas Didier (incumbent), Mike Thomas

District 4

Democratic: Jorge Fernandez, Patti Hays

Republican: Jason Arp (incumbent), Rachel Lott

District 5

Democratic: Geoff Paddock (incumbent)

Republican: Taylor Vanover

District 6

Democratic: Tom Cook, Hakim Muhammad, Sharon Tucker

Grabill

Clerk-treasurer

Republican: Cynthia L. Barhydt, Lori Nash

Town Council

Republican: Wilmer Delegrange, Jeffrey D. Smead

Leo-Cedarville

Clerk-treasurer

Republican: Pamela K. Spannuth

Town Council

Republican: John Eastes, Raymond Pulver Jr., Tyler Witmer, Scott Yoder

New Haven

Mayor

Republican: Steve McMichael, Robert Nelson, Steve Poiry

Clerk-treasurer

Republican: Melissa Hayes, Natalie Strock

City Council

At-large (2 seats)

Republican: J. Pat Anderson, David Cheviron, Terry A. Werling

District 1

Republican: Floyd Ball

District 2

Republican: Sarah DiGangi, Dennis Schebig, Jeff Turner

District 3

Republican: Craig Dellinger

District 4

Republican: Robert Byrd, Michael Mowery

District 5

Republican: Eric Amstutz, Matthew Kennedy

 

 

 

 

 

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