Alaska Row Over ‘Two Dan Sullivans’ on One Ballot; Perth Says Every Election Since 1974 Has Had at Least Three John Robertsons
An Alaska Senate candidate denies knowing about an alleged plan to put two Dan Sullivans on the ballot. Perth sees no problem.
A ballot paper. In Perth, often a list of very similar names. Photo: Governement of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; Photo: Zinneke., “Ballot paper and documents for mail voting for European Parliament elections 2024 in Luxembourg”, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
In Alaska, there has been a row over an alleged plot to put two people called Dan Sullivan on the same ballot paper, in what has been described as an attempt to confuse voters. One Senate candidate has denied knowing anything about it.
In Perth, the story was met with a shrug. “Two Dan Sullivans? That’s nothing,” said a man from Tulloch. “My school register had four John Robertsons. One of them was called John Robertson Robertson. Nobody was ever confused. We called them Big John, Wee John, Ginger John and John.”
Local historians say Perth has long had a solution to having lots of people with the same name: nicknames. “In this city, nobody uses their real name,” said one. “You’re ‘the one with the van’, ‘the one whose dad had the chip shop’ or ‘the one who fell in the Tay at the gala in 1989’. You can’t put that on a ballot paper, mind.”
Alaska’s election officials say voters should check carefully before they vote. Perth’s advice is to vote for the one whose dad had the chip shop. He’s always been reliable.
The real story: US & Canada news (BBC News)
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