Alabama’s recent U.S. Senate election had a record amount of write-in votes, with Baldwin County being no exception to the rule.
Write-in candidate Lee Busby gathered the most write-in votes in Baldwin County, with former Attorney General and appointed Senator Luther Strange receiving 507 votes.
Current U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions received 53 votes, followed by Alabama football coach Nick Saban with 41 votes, State Senator Trip Pittman with 32 votes, Congressman Bradley Byrne with 29 votes, Congressman Mo Brooks with 26 votes and Orange Beach City Councilman Jeff Boyd with 13 votes.
Basketball legend Charles Barkley received 10 votes, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson got 8 votes, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice received 6 votes as did Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson, though he nor Rice meet the state’s residency requirements.
Governor Kay Ivey bested former Governor Bob Riley, five votes to four. Former Alabama Attorney General and current federal Judge Bill Pryor got 3 votes.
Fairhope Financial Committee Chairman Chuck Zunk got 3 votes as did Sheriff Hoss Mack, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft, Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon and former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville.
Actor Clint Eastwood received 2 votes, as did South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce Director Donna Watts, Spanish Fort City Prosecutor Karol Kemp, Representative Randy Davis, Probate Judge Tim Russell and former Congressman Jack Edwards.
Receiving one vote countywide were Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts, Birmingham area weatherman James Spann, Elberta Mayor Jim Hamby, singer Jimmy Buffett, former Congressman Jo Bonner, Representative Joe Faust, Alabama Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan, former Fairhope Mayor Tim Kant, Commissioner Tucker Dorsey, Elberta Councilmember Vicky Norris, former Senate candidate Jonathan McConnell, Gulf Shores City School Board President Kevin Corcoran, Alabama Chief Justice Lyn Stuart, Robertsdale Mayor Charles Murphy, former Alabama First Lady Dianne Bentley, former Governor Don Seigelman, Representative Harry Shiver, Spanish Fort Mayor Mike McMillan, radio personality Paul Finebaum, attorney Sam Crosby and “Queen of Foley” Zana Price.
Baldwin County Elections Coordinator Violetta Smith said she and the elections staff worked hard to weed out any fictional characters residents may have voted for, but said one did make it through the cracks: Boo Radley, from Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” who received one vote.
