# Absurd write-in candidates **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2000, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611 "2000-11-10T04:37:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/1 "2000-11-10T04:37:13Z")
Are any statistics available on ballots for president that are filled in with ineligible names? Things like fictional characters, dead people, animals, children, non-citizens, etc.? Occasionally the paper will have a fluff piece on humorous ballots, but does anyone keep a tally of these? ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/2 "2000-11-10T05:16:23Z")
Mr. Potatohead once got 4 votes in an election for governor (of Ohio, IIRC) ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/3 "2000-11-10T06:43:31Z")
I voted for myself once, a long time ago… but I didn’t win… ---
**Author:** ![starfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@starfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starfish)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/4 "2000-11-10T13:22:31Z")
In Houston, the “registered” write in candidates are posted in the voting booths. I don’t know how you register. The other write in votes are not counted. ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/5 "2000-11-10T16:19:34Z")
I remember seeing a local election tally online that said Richard Grayson got a vote for president. Dick Grayson. The first Robin. I have to wonder if anyone voted for Batman. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_A\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Just\_A\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_A_Girl)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/6 "2000-11-10T19:45:30Z")
I heard somewhere (and I don’t know how valid this is), that Mickey Mouse actually gets a substantial number of write-ins every presidential election. I bet everyone who does it thinks they’re the first one too 🙂 Just thought that was kinda interesting… ---
**Author:** ![Freyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freyr/32/5763_2.png) [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/7 "2000-11-10T22:41:43Z")
Pat Paulsen was this comic from the 60s and 70s who did the TV comedy/variety show circuit and every 4 years, he’d announce his campaign for the Presidency. I wonder how many votes he totalled each year? Ghods, how I wish I could’ve written **HIS** name on the ballot this year. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/8 "2000-11-10T23:28:18Z")
Zippy the Pinhead got over 2000 votes in the 1988 election. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2000, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/9 "2000-11-10T23:37:23Z")
I think that Bill and Opus probably still get some write in vots… ---
**Author:** ![quasar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@quasar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quasar)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/10 "2000-11-11T00:28:20Z")
Figuring a healthy dude like me can attain the average life expectancy of 70 years, I should get to vote 12 more times. Very likely the candidates will suck so I have already prepared my 12 write-in votes: Marvin the Martian Cecil Jessica Rabbit Yoda Stone Cold Steve Austin Peter Parker Sherlock Holmes George Bush III John Woo Shoeless Joe Jackson Siddharta Gautama, The Buddha. The Antichrist Gregory R. Smith ## Yeah, those are 13 names but I am quessing the last two ones might be the same person. **Yoda** or **Yogurt**? A dilemma for the ages. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/11 "2000-11-11T19:46:50Z")
The Onion posted a “list” of the most written-in candidates. My favorite was “Haywood Jablowmi”, but they made up some other good ones too. ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/12 "2000-11-11T22:04:56Z")
I once got several votes for county coroner. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/13 "2000-11-11T22:37:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gunslinger \* > \*\*Mr. Potatohead once got 4 votes in an election for governor (of Ohio, IIRC) \*\* **I** voted for Mr Potatohead once, in a San Francisco election about 12 years ago. To this day I still believe he would have done a better job than the numpty who actually won the ballot. ---
**Author:** ![cegan523](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/fbc32d/32.png) [@cegan523](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cegan523)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2000, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/14 "2000-11-12T00:28:44Z")
I ran for mayor of Tacoma, WA when I was 18. I was not on the ballot, but I was registered as an official write-in candidate. Registering for a write-in was fairly simple; I just filled out a form. It was also free (unlike a ballot registration, which required $400 or 400 petition signatures.) ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2000, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/15 "2000-11-12T01:45:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Just A Girl \* > \*\*I heard somewhere (and I don’t know how valid this is), that Mickey Mouse actually gets a substantial number of write-ins every presidential election. I bet everyone who does it thinks they’re the first one too 🙂 Just thought that was kinda interesting… \*\* I read a [thread](http://snopes2.temp.veriohosting.com/ubb/Forum12/HTML/000057.html) on the Snopes message boards in which someone said Mickey may have received as many as 20,000 votes in some presidential elections. I bet you’re right about people thinking they’re being original by voting for him. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2000, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/16 "2000-11-12T13:22:00Z")
Or maybe they just think he’d be a better president than either of the other two mickey-mouse candidates! See, and people are blaming Nader for throwing the election to Bush. They should really be blaming Mickey! ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2000, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/17 "2000-11-12T16:17:47Z")
I just caught the last half of “The Awful Truth” last week, but apparently Michael Moore was running a Ficus tree against some candidate (and encouraging others do to the same in their own districts) on the idea that a potted plant would be a better candidate that whoever was running. Did anyone have a “Ficus” show up on their vote counts? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2000, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/18 "2000-11-12T16:31:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Did anyone have a “Ficus” show up on their vote counts? \And I’d expect Richard Kelton. But wouldn’t he be more likely to show up as Richard Benjamin’s running mate?\ ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2000, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/19 "2000-11-12T16:55:13Z")
Here in Ireland a few years ago in our presidential election\* a very popular charcater ( [Dustin the Turkey](http://www.muse.ie/archive/interviews/dustin.html) ) from a kids programme started a mock run for president. He actually got more votes in parts of Dublin than one of the real candidates, Austin Currie ( all our elections are hand counted and although they were spoiled votes the no.'s were kept ) - Our President is a figure head and has no real constitutional power. ---
**Author:** ![pezwookiee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@pezwookiee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pezwookiee)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2000, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611/20 "2000-11-12T18:42:26Z")
The Washington Post said (yesterday I think) in an article about the handcount of write-in ballots in Florida that so many votes were for Gore, so many votes were for Bush, and there was one vote for “Jesus.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-write-in-candidates/40611.md?page=2)