In the past two days, in addition to the presidential election, the elections of hundreds of members of Congress and some local officials in the United States are also in full swing. A Republican candidate named David Andahl was successfully elected as a member of the House of Representatives, however, he has passed away for a month...
David Andahl's photo during his lifetime Photo source: NBC
According to Fox News on November 4, Andahl is a real estate developer and farmer in Bismarck City, North Dakota. On November 3 local time, the state's eighth district House of Representatives MP election was issued. Among the four candidates, Andahl and another Republican candidate, Dave Nehring, both defeated their Democratic opponents with a vote of 37% and 41%.
But the problem is that Andal had already died of COVID-19 as early as October 5th local time. His campaign announced the news through Facebook two days later.
His mother also told the local media Bismarck Times that his son is "very cautious" about the epidemic and is eager to become a parliamentarian. "He has a lot of feelings for his country and wants to do things better. He is also concerned about agriculture and wants farmers and the coal industry to develop better."
Since he knew that people were dead for a long time, why is his name still on the candidate list?
North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said in mid-October that this is because since September, many voters have participated in early voting. If Andal's name is removed, it will have an impact on the statistics. "The court uses the 'U.S.' rules to calculate the voting results of the deceased candidates."
Stenehjem then introduced that if Andal is really elected, he will be regarded as a "resignation" or "retirement" state, creating a vacant seat. The Republican leaders of the Eighth District can fill this vacancy directly through appointments.
In other words, the seats will not fall into the hands of the Democratic Party anyway.
In fact, although the situation in Andal is rare, it is not without precedent. According to incomplete statistics from CNN, at least five candidates have won the election since 2000. In 2018, Dennis Hof, a brothel owner who likes to call himself a "pimp", was elected an official in the state's legislature after almost three weeks of his death.
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