In Scotland, the proposer just squeaked through. I suppose the candidate could also be a potted pant, or a clod of earth.
Read the article - the prosecution cocked it up and the case was thrown out on a technicality.
Sorry. OK, is it legal anywhere?
This story is weird. She was charged with a crime under one of the articles of Representation of the People Act 1983 which specifically consolidates the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, amongst various other acts dealing with elections in the UK. Yet apparently what she was charged with only applies to local government elections in England and Wales according to the presiding sheriff at the trial.
In particular, by my reading it is an offence throughout the entire UK to vote for somebody who you know to be fictitious (60.2.b.i), yet (with a naive reading of the linked article) apparently only in England and Wales it is an offence to register a fictitious person as a candidate for election. So, is this an oversight in the Act, or is there an alternative clause covering Scotland and whoever charged the woman merely charged her incorrectly?
Michael Moore attempted unsuccessfully to nominate a ficus plant for the 11th congressional district of NJ. I saw him and the plant outside the state Board of Elections. He was unsuccessful, but subsequently the plant did receive wrtite-in votes in several other states’ races.
I was confused too, so I had another look and I think by the current legislation they are talking about section 65, not section 60. If you look at section 65 it makes sense.
With respect to the question in the OP, in the US, is the mannequin native born?
Possibly somewhere on it, it says “Made in USA”. If so it can run for President/VP. Other offices don’t have a natural-born requirement, so it could run for California governor, for example, even if it was made in China or wherever.
What if it’s made in Kenya?
The mannequin would have to be at least 35 years old to run for pres. It will need a birth certificate or dated manufacturer’s warranty or something. Preferably a long form.
The nomination cited by FrankJBN of a ficus plant must have stemmed from the same place where “potted plant” comes from.
About the clod of earth–an extension of the idea similar to some politicians: if the dirt clumps off in pieces, it is not the same nominee as the original one.