David "None of the Above" Gatchell

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David "None of the Above" Gatchell is a software developer and was an independent candidate in the 2006 U.S. Senatorial Election for Tennessee. Gatchell, 58, resides in Franklin, Tennessee. Gatchell legally changed his middle name from "Leroy" to "None of the Above" in 2005 and made efforts to appear on the Senate ballot as "David 'None of the Above' Gatchell."[1] The state election commission and a court denied his request, and Gatchell appeared on the November ballot as "David Gatchell".[2]

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[edit] Political views

Gatchell's sole campaign issue was to raise awareness of what he perceives to be a need for a "none of the above" option on ballots in Tennessee.[3] In response to inquires regarding his position on major political issues, Gatchell responded:

"The NOTA option should be politically neutral for liberals, conservatives, Libertarians, Greens, Democrats, Republicans and every other shade in the political spectrum. NOTA isn't associated with any ideology or position. It's a rejection of an entire slate of candidates, and that is its only purpose. It's a demand by the voters for a new election."[3]

Gatchell said that, if elected, he would immediately begin scheduling a special election to select his successor.[3] He said that he would resign his office and turn it over to the person chosen in the special election.[3] In doing so, Gatchell claimed he was essentially serving as a "none of the above" option on the ballot, as the special election would presumably include a new slate of candidates.[3]

Gatchell's ultimate goal was for the Tennessee Legislature to pass a law mandating the appearance of a "none of the above" option on ballots.[3] He pointed to a similar law in Nevada, which requires that a "none of these candidates" option appear on ballots, though the option is non-binding on the state election officials.[3]

[edit] Political career

Gatchell began his political career by running as an independent "none of the above" candidate in the 2002 Tennessee governor's race, in which he placed sixth with 2,983 votes.[3]

In 2005, Gatchell legally changed his middle name from "Leroy" to "None of the Above" in anticipation of the 2006 Senate election.[1] Gatchell ran for the Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Bill Frist. His campaign manager was his pug, Puglsy.[3]

Gatchell made efforts to appear on the November 2006 Senate ballot as "David 'None of the Above' Gatchell," but the state election commissioners voted unanimously to bar the middle name, stating that it would likely cause confusion among voters.[1] Gatchell filed a lawsuit in July 2006 to have his full name appear on the ballot, but the court ruled in August that he could not use the full name because it is "issue-oriented," which is against Tennessee law.[2] Gatchell planned to appeal the ruling,[2] but ended up appearing on the ballot as "David Gatchell".

Gatchell placed fourth in the 2006 Senate election with over 3,600 votes.[1]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c 'None of the Above' sues to have name on November ballot, Bonna de la Cruz, The Tennessean, July 20, 2006.
  2. ^ a b c David 'None of the Above' Gatchell can't use his full name on ballot, ABC 13 by The Associated Press, August 14, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Noneoftheabove-tn.org, Gatchell's official campaign website
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