What Will Happen If A Dead Man Gets Elected In Albany County, Wyo.
Tony Lopez will not get the chance to serve as Albany County Attorney, but he does have a chance to get elected. Lopez died unexpectedly last month, but his name remains on the ballot. If he defeats the incumbent County Attorney Peggy Trent, here's what would happen.
Lopez ran as a Republican and if he wins, the Albany County Republican Party would nominate three candidates to the County Commission, who would then choose the next County Attorney from those finalists.
Albany County Clerk Jackie Gonzales told the Laramie Boomerang that this is the first time a candidate has died before Election Day in her 28-year career. While Lopez would be the first candidate to win a local election posthumously, there have been several candidates around the country who were elected after dying.
One of the most famous examples was the Missouri Senate Race in 2000. Weeks before the election, former Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan died in a plane crash. After Carnahan defeated John Ashcroft, his widow Jean was appointed to his seat, before losing a special election two years later. Over the years, five candidates have been elected to the United States Congress after dying unexpectedly.