Black atheist comedian running for California state senate

When Steve Hill found that only one candidate was on the ballot for California's senate he decided to do something about it, and is now running as a write in candidate.

According to the Friendly Atheist, when Steve Knight won a seat in the US Congress he had to give up his seat on California's state senate.

Sharon Runner meanwhile, the Republican Knight had beaten in 2008, is currently the only name on the ballot.

"In the special election for my local State Senate seat, there is only one candidate on the ballot. In America we don’t have coronations, we have elections that require a vigorous debate on the issues.  It’s why I’ve decided to run a write-in campaign for State Senate," Hill said on his website.

Hill has responded to this by running a campaign as a write in candidate, with policies which are strongly pro-worker and pro-small business.

"As California’s economy continues to grow, we must create an economy that is built to last for hard-working Americans," Hill said on his policy page.

This focus on worker's rights also extends to immigration reform, with a pledge to crack down on employers who exploit illegal immigrants and pay them below minimum wage.

He has also pledged to provide funding for after-school programmes, saying, "Education doesn't stop when school ends, and in commuter communities like we find throughout the 21st Senate District, we need to expand after-school programs that have been devastated over the years by state budget cuts."

Unfortunately, even if Hill managed to overcome the various factors against his campaign it is unclear whether votes for write-in candidates would even get counted.