Donald Trump has won a surprise election after voters put his name down as a write-in candidate in a minor board ballot in Oregon.
The former president has won a seat on the Hubbard Rural Fire Protection District after he and four other people received two votes each as write-in candidates in the May 16 vote.
Trump was declared the winner and was elected as the Hubbard Fire District Board Director Position No. 3 after the election was decided by a roll of the dice on June 23.
However, it remains to be seen if the man who is running for the White House in 2024 will take up the role in Oregon.
"The candidate who won the dice roll off was Donald Trump and because he doesn't live or own property in the district, the next step would be to determine if either of the other two candidates who won the dice roll are interested," Hubbard Fire Chief Michael Kahrmann told the Salem Statesman Journal.
The four other write-in candidates to have received four votes were Jerry Cox, Rocky Sherwood, Paula Smith and Bob Banks.
In the first of the 12-sided dice rolling decider, representatives for Smith, Sherwood and Trump each rolled a 10. The former president's stand-in then rolled a 12 in the second round, resulting in him winning the election.
The Hubbard Rural Fire Protection District will determine if Trump will be eligible to have a seat on their board. The chances are unlikely due to the requirement that board directors must either live in or own property in the district.
Trump lives and is registered in Florida, with no indication that the former president has any plans to move or buy property in the rural Oregon area.
"I'm not sure how the fire district is going to determine if Donald Trump or a Donald Trump owns property," Marion County Clerk Bill Burgess told the Statesman Journal.
"The likelihood is probably not great since we don't even have a Donald Trump registered in the county."
If it is determined Trump cannot take up the position, then the other who rolled a 10 in the dice will be asked if they want the role. If neither Smith or Sherwood do, then a vacancy will be declared and the fire board will have to appoint someone.
"It just shows the persnicketiness that we go through when people are doing write-ins," Burgess said.
The next Hubbard Fire District's meeting will take place on July 12, where it is expected it will be decided who takes on the open board position, reported KOIN.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
