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An election not quite legal but organized for a good cause.
It was at Rabbit Hash (literally rabbit hash), not far from Cincinnati, a small village of 426 people, a dozen buildings and a few dogs that the election took place.
Jane C. Hu, reporter for Slate in the United States, shares this story told through the Facebook pages of the city and its candidates. On November 4, “the city's ambassador”, Lady Stone, a bitch - also - but a black and white border collie announces the results of the “most important election of the year”: Wilbur is in the lead, d other dogs congratulate him in the comments.
Its slogan is simple: "Give me freedom or bones". Wilbur is not the city’s first dog-mayor (or mayor-dog), but the fifth. He also stole the victory from outgoing dog-mayor Brynneth Pawltro, a pit bull elected in 2016; before her, another border collie (Lucy Lou) and before her, a Labrador. The first of the style was Goofy, elected in 1998 as the city's first mayor.
Election scandal
In reality, the election is just a pretext to raise money for the Rabbit Hash Historical Preservation Society, which ensures the survival of the city's buildings. The election is obviously not legal, it even takes place under funny conditions according to Bobbi Kayser, president of the Society and happy owner of the mayor-dog number 3, at one dollar the vote, "we encourage multiple votes. , we even encourage voters to drink at the polls because they are much more relaxed with their wallets ”.
In this predominantly conservative state outside the big cities, Rabbit Hash is a small Kentucky exception, the Slate.com reporter tells us. It hosts a liberal artistic community and dance or music clubs that never fail to present their work in front of the city's general store.
In 2016, it is this mayor-dog tradition that enabled the city to raise $ 20,000 to rebuild the store destroyed by fire.
This year, the election raised nearly $ 23,000 (19,500 euros), with $ 13,000 for Wilbur. The other candidates were very diverse as the only rule to apply is to be a bipedal or quadriped capable of chasing the rabbit out of his house in the center of the village, in less than an hour.
And if this all sounds too American to you, know that in France, Flibuste is already campaigning for 2022.
