Town council candidate dies on election day while greeting voters

CLARKSVILLE, Ind. — A candidate running for a council seat in a southern Indiana town died Tuesday after collapsing near a polling station while greeting voters on election day.

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David “Red” Worrall, 59, a Republican running for the Clarksville Town Council, collapsed outside Clarksville Renaissance Academy, WDRB-TV reported. According to a news release from the Town of Clarksville, Worrall was taken to an area hospital where he later died, the Cleburne Times-Review reported.

Worrall was a former District 3 councilman and was running for election as an at-large candidate, according to WHAS-TV.

In a statement, officials with the Town of Clarksville extended their “deepest condolences” to Worrall’s friends and family members.

“David’s dedication to our community was truly commendable, the statement said, according to the Times-Review. “We will never forget his passion for public service and his unwavering desire to create positive change in our Town. David’s memory will live on in the hearts of those who knew him and the community he strived to serve.”

Worrall owned an auto repair shop in Clarksville for 35 years, according to People.

According to unofficial election results posted by Clark County, two candidates were chosen for the at-large post Worrall was running for. He finished third with 1,122 votes. Finishing ahead of Worrall were Bob McEwen, with 1,261 votes; and Jennifer Voignier, with 1,164 votes.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, McEwen said that Worrall’s death was “still a blur in my mind.”

“While working at the poll with family and friends of both parties we were reminded how fragile life can be,” McEwen wrote. “Our community will not forget the good things Red epotimized about our community. His love of family, love of friends, and a love and pride of the town we all call home.”

“Please say a prayer for his mom, brother and sister, family and all his close friends,” Voignier wrote in a Facebook post. “He was a close and very dear friend who I greatly miss!!! RIP Red!!”