One of the names that will appear on the ballot in Nevada this election season is Dennis Hof. He is the Republican candidate for the Nevada State Assembly. Perhaps he is better known as a pimp. Or, maybe you know him as someone who has been accused of sexual assault multiple times by the sex workers who work at his brothel. Maybe you even know him for calling President Donald Trump the “Christopher Columbus” for people like him.
Or, maybe you’ve heard of him because he recently died. On Oct. 16, 2018, Hof passed away in one of his brothels after a night of political rallies and partying. Despite this, every word of this article is still true. Hof is the Republican candidate for Nevada State Assembly. His name will remain on the ballot, despite his recent death.
When people in Nevada walk into the polls Nov. 7, 2018, they will have the option of choosing between a real, living Democratic candidate, Lesia Romanov, and a dead man. It seems, however, that even death cannot stop the red tide of Trump’s America. Even with his death, Hof is still projected to win. If he wins, a commission from each county will work together to appoint another Republican.
People purposefully writing in the name of a dead person on their ballot is one thing, but officially having the name of a dead man on the ballot is a gross undermining of our democracy. Polling places will, supposedly, have signs posted that notify voters of his death, but that doesn't stop people from voting for their own party no matter the circumstances.
Simply placing a sign in front of a polling place is not enough to justify keeping the name of a dead person on the ballot. Perhaps someone simply will not read or see the sign.
According to a study by Vanderbilt University, people are more likely to vote for whichever name they have heard of before in a lower level election.
Hof was the owner of many brothels and even a reality television star, making his name much more recognizable than Romanov’s, who is an assistant principal. So, people who don’t pay attention to their surroundings might go in and just pick Hof’s name simply because they recognize it.
Republicans voting in Nevada will still probably vote for their party candidates regardless of the specific circumstances. They shouldn’t necessarily be blamed for voting for the Republican candidate, though. The blame should lie on the members of the government who are allowing this to happen.
That being said, government officials take advantage of our culture of political divisiveness, knowing people will vote for their own party no matter what. Therefore, it doesn't even matter who is on the ballot. If the state has a Republican majority, then any Republican can win. This is the real problem that allows a dead man to run for office.
Ideally, voters would study the candidates on the ballot in depth before showing up to vote, and then make an informed decision based on their platforms. Being a living, breathing person seems like an important part of a political campaign, but apparently many voters don't think so.
Voting should not be complicated. People should be able to show up on election day, cast their ballots and not have to pay special attention to be sure that none of the candidates have died. In a country where many citizens already shirk the act of voting due to its perception, we don’t need anything else adding to the notion that voting is one big joke.
