Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 2, 1990                   TAG: 9005020259
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

LAST-MINUTE CHALLENGER JUST WANTED A SHAKE-UP

The two incumbent candidates for council - Roy McCarty and Donald Davis - were both running unopposed.

And Iddings was told he was only the 28th voter to cast a ballot Tuesday at his precinct, one of just two precincts in Vinton.

It was about noon.

So, he took to the telephones and began a last minute write-in campaign.

"I figured maybe I could go home and do a little calling and luck out or something," he said.

Or at the very least, he thought a few votes would "shake them up some," referring to McCarty and Davis.

Iddings was disappointed that nobody had challenged the two incumbents. He also was bothered by the low voter turnout.

Only 154 or 4.8 percent of Vinton's 3,200 registered voters went to the polls Tuesday.

A Vinton native and retired policeman, Iddings said he called about 40 people, who all told him that they would give him their votes.

But he landed just one write-in vote.

"I thought I was going to get more than that," he said.

McCarty received 145 votes. Davis received 127 votes.

Iddings himself voted for McCarty and Davis.

"I don't know who voted for me, but I didn't," he said.

This was his first foray into politics, but now that he's gotten his feet wet, it likely won't be his last.

"I'm going to fill my papers out and run next time," he promised.

This was the second consecutive election that both McCarty and Davis have run unopposed for Vinton council.

In 1986, the two candidates received 74 votes each and voter turnout was even lower than it was this year.

- Staff reports