Election goes to the dog in Rabbit Hash, Ky.

Travis the cat didn't win the mayoral election, but he did help raise more than $20,000 for his historical hometown.

In Rabbit Hash, Ky., the most hotly contested race of the 2008 election was for the mayor’s seat, and while Travis the cat put up a good fight, it was a Border Collie named Lucy Lou who won the most votes.

Three official residents live in this town on the banks of the Ohio River, yet Lucy Lou managed to win 8,085 votes. The feline placed third with 3,721 votes. A Springer Spaniel named Toby was the first runner-up with 4,596 votes.

Bobbi Kayser, owner of the new honorary mayor, explained that for this election, voters were able to cast their ballots, repeatedly, from all around the world via the Rabbit Hash Historical Society’s website. For the locals, the general store serves as a polling site.

While the historical society is truly responsible for running the town, the new mayor  promises to lend a paw to all fundraising events and activities, Kayser said.

Lucy Lou won the mayoral election by a comfortable margin.

While Travis the cat came up short in his effort to capture the most votes with a message of change, he helped contribute to the total amount raised in the election: $21,200. The money goes to maintain the town’s historical integrity, Kayser said.

Lucy Lou follows in the footsteps of Junior, a black Lab who served as mayor from 1995 to 2008, until he died. The first canine mayor was elected in 1998, a mutt named Goofy.

Lucy Lou and Travis competed with candidates that included a miniature donkey named Higgins, as well as nine other dogs, one opossum and a human.