Thousands voted for a dead gubernatorial ballot candidate in Alabama
A candidate on the Alabama gubernatorial ballot, Michael McAllister, reportedly won more than 3,000 votes on Tuesday night's election. The candidate, however, had died in April.
Reports state that the Republican had nearly 0.6 percent of the primary vote with almost all of the precincts reporting Tuesday night. At the end of the day, McAllister was put in the last place, according to reports.
The Republican candidate was reportedly found dead in his home in April and was found by police officers after they entered his residence forcefully.
Pike County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Buck Williams said: "Nobody heard from him for a few days, so the deputies went down and had to force entry to the residence."
"He had already been deceased [when deputies found him], and there was not any evidence of foul play. He had a bunch of health problems," Williams added.
The officer said that he did not know what kind of health problems McAllister had. The sheriff's office said that McAllister was former corrections officer. He entered the Republican primary to run for the position of governor, however, he did not reportedly respond to repeated phone calls for an interview, according to AL.com.
The news site reported that it had also extended multiple invitations to him to participate in its candidate debate but received no response from the Republican.
Shortly after McAllister's death, the Alabama Republican Party released a statement in April, saying:
"The Alabama Republican Party is saddened to hear of the very sudden passing of ALGOP Gubernatorial Candidate Michael McAllister. We honor his willingness to be a citizen servant as he was seeking to be elected to a position in public office. Please join us as we lift up his family and friends in prayer during this very difficult time."
McAllister had reportedly given a few interviews before his death and had also spoken against President Donald Trump when he suggested arming teachers in schools in an attempt to curb mass shootings in educational institutions.
Reports state that incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey (R) emerged as the primary’s clear winner Tuesday night. Ivey is not set to face off against Democratic nominee Walt Maddox, who is the mayor of Tuscaloosa.