A Connecticut man has won a local election after officials misspelled the name of the man who was actually supposed to be on the ballot. Residents of Derby thought they were voting for James R. Butler to take another term on the Board of Apportionment and Taxation, but the typo means Butler’s son James J. Butler won the election.
Officials aren’t sure what to do next. The ‘winner’ is in his 40s and apparently has little interest in the position, while his fathers is in his 70s and is said to be keen to get on with his official role. The problem is that there’s no precdent for such a situation, and while no-one wants to run a whole new election, that might be the only option. There’s no real doubt that residents thought they were voting from Butler Snr, but rules have to be followed…
Some people are saying that since James J. Butler won the election, he should be sworn in and could then resign in favour of his father. Others say that this plan would be against the rules. Perhaps what they need to do is find someone else named James J. Butler who is interested in the position?
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