Election Hangover: Woman Runs Down Her Husband With Their Car For Not Voting

We all knew that this election got people a little fired up. And since it’s conclusion, we’ve seen plenty of dramatic responses to President Obama‘s re-election. For example, a Texas mega church pastor says Obama’s re-election will “pave the way” for the “reign of the Antichrist.” (You would think that would’ve made the first term agenda…) No where is this over-reaction more evident than the Arizona woman who ran down her husband with her SUV for not voting.

Holly Solomon was so frustrated that her husband Daniel hadn’t taken the time to vote in the election that she actually chased him around a parking lot with her car. And she wasn’t just trying to “scare him straight.” This woman actually pinned her husband under the car. He went to the hospital where he is in critical condition but expected to live.

I’m sure you can guess, since Holly was so upset, that she was hoping for Mitt Romney to defeat President Obama. One of the  odder aspects of this case however, is that the Solomon’s state of Arizona gave their electoral votes to Romney. He won their state. Daniel’s vote didn’t actually matter all that much. (Every vote matters, but you know what I mean.)

I’m all for civic engagement, but obviously this is pushing things too far. More than anything, it shows how some people became so overly invested in this political cycle. It shows how both the politicians and the media succeeded in making this election feel like a life or death choice, like we were deciding the future of the entire country on one day. If you’ve bought in to that narrative, I imagine seeing your side lose is pretty terrifying.

Obviously, you can’t take too many conclusions for this single circumstance. Holly Solomon needs a psychiatric evaluation. Voting is important, but never important enough to warrant vehicular manslaughter. (I can’t think of many things like that important and none of them involve politics.)

I know there are times when my husband has a hard time listening to my political talk. There are times he walks out of the room when I switch on Up with Chris Hayes on a Saturday morning. In general, I’m much more involved in politics than he is. We’ve accepted this and we tend not to discuss political issues too much. But I’d kind of like to tell him this story. I just want him to know that it could be much, much worse.

In all seriousness, we hope that Mr. Solomon recovers fully and that his wife gets any help she might need, as well as a punishment that gives her plenty of time to think things over. And to realize that the world will not fall apart, no matter which party controls the White House.

(Photo: Nikita Starichenko/Shutterstock)