Talk:Margarette Leach

Article move proposed; first name might be wrong

Hello all,

I've recently done some reading on Faithless electors. In my reading it appears the name of this person was Margarette Leach instead of Margaret. Here are some sources for this:

• A December 2007 obituary published by the The State Journal in Charleston, WV states:

Margarette Leach died Sunday night around 6:30 p.m. at the Hospice House in Huntington.

Here's the link: [1]

• Also in December 2007, The WV Governor released a statement upon her death. It states:

Gov. Joe Manchin today released the following statement about the passing of former Cabell County legislator Margarette Leach.

Here's the link: [2]

• Here's a roster of the Delegates from the WV House of Delegates from 2000. It lists Margarette instead of Margaret: [3]

Now here are a few References from 1988.

• On December 20, 1988 the Washington Post published an article entitled "In Suspenseless Ritual, Electoral College Votes - One Renegade Shifts Ballot To Protest System". It stated:

In West Virginia, one of six electors cast her presidential vote for Democratic vice-presidential nominee Lloyd Bentsen and cast her vice-presidential vote for Dukakis. West Virginia Secretary of State Ken Hechler said elector Margarette Leach of Huntington made the switch as a protest against continued use of the two-centuries-old electoral college system. Her switch gives Dukakis one vote less than the 112 he earned by winning 10 states and the District of Columbia.

Here's the link: [4]

• On the same day, the San Jose Mercury News published an article entitled "'Faithless Elector' Casts Protest Vote For Bentsen". It stated:

A West Virginia elector who says the nation has "outgrown" the Electoral College provided the only surprise during the constitutional ritual officially electing George Bush as the nation's 41st president. Margarette Leach switched her Democratic ballot -- voting for Lloyd Bentsen for president and Michael Dukakis for vice president -- as she and 537 other electors carried out their constitutional duty.

Here's the link: [5]

• The Chicago Sun-Times published an article entitled "Illinois makes it official: 24 electoral votes for Bush". It stated:

A Democratic elector in West Virginia provided the day's only surprise, casting a presidential vote for Democratic vice presidential nominee Lloyd Bentsen and casting the vice presidential vote for presidential nominee Dukakis. West Virginia Secretary of State Ken Hechler said elector Margarette Leach of Huntington made the switch to protest the continued use of the two-centuries-old Electoral College system.

Here's the link: [6]

Finally, a search of the Social Security Death Index for Leach and Margarette shows this person as the first match. Here's the link: [7].

The 1988 articles are from NewsBank Database. If the links don't work, leave a message on my talk page and I will send them to you. Hope this helps. - Thanks, Hoshie 04:10, 1 December 2009 (UTC)