Despite Doug Jones being declared the winner of the Alabama Senate election earlier this month, Roy Moore has yet to officially concede, even trying a last-minute lawsuit. But now, the 22,800 recently announced write-in votes have been released, and some names you wouldn’t expect were picked by voters to represent them in Congress.
The 22,800 write-in votes were a major factor in determining the outcome of the race, as the New York Times points out, because totaled together they represented a larger number of votes than what separated Jones and Moore in the final tally.
Some of the names written in earlier this month make some sense. Luther Strange, Moore’s Republican primary challenger, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, received more than 7,000 votes. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Gov. Bob Riley, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions also received votes, according to the news outlet.
However, some of the other ideas people had in mind were downright bizarre.
Ben Jacobs, a reporter for the Guardian, tweeted out several images showing vote totals for Kermit the Frog, Ellen DeGeneres, comedian Mel Brooks, and others.
Among those getting write-in votes in Shelby County, Alabama were @MelBrooks @KrisJenner @benshapiro and @TheEllenShow https://t.co/eXIDjeSVsQ pic.twitter.com/BInQJEKOzL
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) December 28, 2017
Other names to receive write-in votes included: Kris Jenner, Gary Johnson, Ben Shapiro, Ron Swanson of NBC’s Parks and Recreation, Mickey Mouse, Spongebob Squarepants, Jesus, and former presidents Andrew Jackson and Ronald Reagan. Even the “Ghost of Stonewall Jackson,” the Confederate general, was written in, Jacobs reported.
University of Alabama’s head coach Nick Saben was considered worthy of representing Alabama in Congress in the eyes of some residents, nabbing 426 votes, according to the Times.
You can read more about the write-in votes here.
