Ignoring the rest of the story which is nuts itself, this bit at the end just boggles my mind:
According to elections expert Andy Jackson […] "In other instances when, say a candidate dies before Election Day, the candidate's name remains on the ballot and the candidate's widow or widower would get the votes and serve the term,"
Why on earth would the votes go to someone who likely isn’t even a politician, nor likely expressed any interest in holding the position?