<p>Columnist Roger Simon, who for 40 years covered every presidential election, joked that he needed to be buried in his hometown of Chicago, despite living in Washington, D.C., for half his life. </p><p>That way, he would say, he could still vote in Chicago elections since dead people can vote<b>.</b></p><p>Simon was a beloved columnist for a number of publications, including the Chicago Sun-Times and Politico, where he was the chief political columnist. He was known for writing about the dramatics of politics with engaging humor and wit, making complex topics understandable for readers.</p><p>On Thursday, after a short bout of pneumonia, Simon died in Washington, D.C., at 78.</p><p>His wife of nearly 50 years, fellow journalist and longtime Washington Post copy editor Marcia Kramer Simon, said he wanted to be buried in Chicago because he was “Chicago to his core.”</p><p>“He loved Chicago and Chicago loved him back,” Kramer Simon said.</p><p>Roger Simon was born in Chicago on March 29, 1948.