Knox County write-in votes produce memorable results with cartoon characters, coaches and dead former presidents winning votes
Knox County write-in votes produce memorable results with cartoon characters, coaches and dead former presidents winning votes Save Email Print
Posted: 7:00 PM Nov 21, 2008
Last Updated: 6:10 PM Nov 21, 2008
Reporter: Rob Pratt
Email Address: rob.pratt@wvlt-tv.com

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Movie star Christopher Walken got one. So did Chuck Norris. CNN's Lou Dobbs got three. Even Phillip Fulmer and Bruce Pearl got a few. What are we talking about? Write-in votes in Knox County.

You want to send someone to Nashville to fight for you, how about Chuck Norris? Or maybe Apollo Creed from the Rocky movies?

State Representative Stacey Campfield knocked out both of those men in his reelection campaign. Campfield says, "You've got to watch the left."

With no Democrat opposing the representative, someone cast a ballot for Barney Fife. Campfield nipped Barney in the bud, but over a dozen voters preferred Mickey Mouse to Campfield.

But that's not the worst of it, 39 people wrote in "anyone else" and over fifty people wrote something similar. Bozo the Clown got some votes too.

Campfield's response to that, "I could grow out my hair a little bit more."

Jedi master Yoda even got one vote.

Campfield says, "The force is strong is this one."

Could people like Yoda and Mickey Mouse make it on Capitol Hill? To find out, we decided to go straight to the top in the Tennessee government, but Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey was as close as we could get today.

"Maybe some of those would do a better job than some of us that are down there now."

Phil Fulmer and Bruce Pearl got votes too.

Ramsey says Pearl has "A lot of energy, he likes to put a team together and has everybody playing their own roles a lot like I do as Speaker of the Senate."

The Presidential election featured more than a few write-ins of its own. One alternative for over a hundred voters in Knox County was Senator Hillary Clinton. But beware, when you write-in someone's name, spelling counts. Being alive does too, but that didn't stop someone from voting for the old Roughrider Teddy Roosevelt.

Do we need T.R. in the White house now? Voter James Everhart, says, "It wouldn't help, l mean it wouldn't hurt. It sure wouldn't hurt."

In the end dead presidents, movie stars and cartoon characters just don't count. But we won't let your vote for them be forgotten.

We've got the entire list of rejected write-in votes from Knox County for you below.

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Posted by: David Garrett Jr. Location: Knoxville on Nov 22, 2008 at 04:33 PM
Ah, there it is. Thanks Stacey. There were so many write-ins for 18 this year because Campfield ran unopposed. Sadly there were more write ins than votes I got in 06.

Posted by: David Garrett Jr. Location: Knoxville on Nov 21, 2008 at 08:14 PM
Where's the write-ins for me? I assured people their vote for myself would be thrown out. Makes me wonder if my vote was counted.

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