Pumpkin is a 13-year-old cat rescued by the staff of the Athens County Board of Elections, where he now has a permanent home. (Abbey Marshall / Ideastream Public Media)
Pumpkin isn’t as spry as he once was.
His orange fur coat, from which the 13-year-old cat gets his moniker, is now flecked with gray. He’s fed a special diet for his kidney problems. And his arthritis keeps him from hopping up and laying behind the glass facade of the Athens County Board of Elections. So, much to the disappointment of Ohio University students walking to bars and shops along the city’s main drag, the local celebrity is rarely seen.
Except during an election year.
"It was actually funny. When I was in there, I took a picture to send to my girlfriend of the cat because she started visiting me here and we never saw the cat, so I actually thought the cat was dead," said Zach McDonald, an OU junior and Columbus native. "But it was nice to see and I thought it was a cool thing."
McDonald was updating his voter registration in early October, and got to catch a glimpse of the local icon in all his chunky beady eyed glory.
"[Pumpkin] is definitely like an eye catcher. You know, in the past, they might’ve seen it and kind of sparked a little bit more interest in the building and what's going on there," McDonald said.
The Board of Elections staff first adopted Pumpkin in 2012, when an OU student was apparently throwing out the cat, who was riddled with fleas and mites.
"We're governed by a board of four people: two Democrats and two Republicans. They're all cat lovers. And they voted to let us keep Pumpkin," said Debbie Quivey, the director of the Athens County Board of Elections.
Athens County Board of Elections Director Debbie Quivey calls herself Pumpkin's "grandma." (Abbey Marshall/Ideastream Public Media)
The office workers paid for his care with their own money and gave him a permanent home at the Court Street office.
"He lives here. He never goes home with us. This is his domain. We are his staff," Quivey said.
Quivey, who has worked there for more than 30 years, calls herself Pumpkin's grandma and rescuer.
And she’s not sure why Pumpkin has become so beloved.
"He can be so grouchy he can just growl and not want you to hold him and stuff," Quivey said. "And they don't care. They'll come back. I think that's part of his appeal."
But people love him. Fan art, pictures and paintings by students and residents are propped up along the front desk.
A display of paintings and photos from Athens residents and Ohio University students, as well as Pumpkin's book of signatures, sits along the front counter of the Board of Elections. (Abbey Marshall/Ideastream Public Media)
He’s even gone viral on Twitter and Reddit.
"He's just very loved," Quivey said. "OU students — they have his own Twitter page, his own Instagram, his own Facebook page. So he's very popular."
And he’s frequently used as a voter and civic engagement tool.
In 2020, a local business created Pumpkin-themed merchandise to encourage residents to fill out the census. This year they ran a “Vote for Pumpkin” campaign with t-shirts, yard signs, pins and stickers. Heather Raubenstraw, a designer for the Court Street shop Ohio is Home, was behind both.
Heather Raubenstraw, a designer for Athens-based business Ohio is Home, created "Vote for Pumpkin" merchandise ahead of the 2024 election. (Abbey Marshall/Ideastream Public Media)
"I think a lot of people are torn with this election and how things are going that we just wanted someone that we could, you know, depend on," Raubenstraw said. "And Pumpkin is just that person or that kitty, I should say."
The city's population is about 23,000, and 20,000 students live on campus when school is in session.
The Athens County Board of Elections sits along Athens's main drag, Court Street. Though Pumpkin rarely sits in the front window anymore, pictures of him are still plastered on the glass facade. (Abbey Marshall/Ideastream Public Media)
Just over half of possible voters under thirty cast ballots in the 2020 presidential election, compared to two-thirds of eligible voters overall. Mayor Steve Patterson believes that an ambassador like Pumpkin can help engage students.
"I like to believe that, you know, Pumpkin reminds people, especially during election season, 'Oh, there's Pumpkin. I need to go vote," Patterson said.
Quivey isn’t sure whether Pumpkin’s popularity translates to ballots cast, but regardless she, and Pumpkin, are dedicated to their civic duty.
"We are very pumped about the election," Quivey said. "Him and I are getting up there in age. We're moving slower, but we're still here. We're still trying."
And tonight, as Board of Elections employees count ballots, Pumpkin will be there hard at work — napping at their feet.