Stephen Colbert elected to public office … or at least ties

According to the Daily Press (Newport News, VA), Stephen Colbert has tied for election on the Williamsburg (VA) Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District Board via write-in.

Colbert ties for spot on soils board
Alas, he’s not a Williamsburg citizen, so the post will go to another.
BY SETH FREEDLAND | Daily Press
10:58 PM EST, November 12, 2007

WILLIAMSBURG – Comedy Central funnyman Stephen Colbert probably didn’t even know he was a candidate in Williamsburg. Neither did a couple of college students from the College of William and Mary. But the three ended up with tied in voting for a seat on the Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District Board.

The what?

If Colbert’s writers weren’t on strike, maybe we’d hear about this from the Comedy Central “newsman.”

The truth of it is, two spots were open for the board that meets once a month to oversee natural resource protection, but just one candidate declared.

Matt Beato, a 20-year-old government major, and Benjamin Strahs, a computer science and math major, collected three write-in votes. So did Colbert. And those votes were tied for the second elected spot.

So what happens now?

Williamsburg Electoral Board officials plan to draw one of their names from a hat to decide which contender will serve on the 12-member board. But Colbert won’t be one of the names in the hat, they said. He’s not a registered voter in the city.

Full text of article

Best quote of the article: “I’m not crazy, but any nut case could win with three votes,” Beato said. “Somebody should make sure that doesn’t happen.”