Prompted by a thought waiting to sign in: the volunteer sign-in lady told a voter who asked for a pencil for a write-in, that his vote wouldn’t count anyway (I reported her to the Board of Elections). Anyway, there must be thousands–the real number is I guess part of the answer to this query–of distinct(ive) write-ins. Will future historians be able to note that in 2012 Leo Bloom was considered Presidential material?
Like everything else, this depends on your state laws. Here in Missouri, that was true until the late 1970s. Since then, a write-in candidate must file with the appropriate election authority or the votes will not be counted. Unless the volunteer sign-in lady is mistaken, it sounds like it’s the same in your state.
The votes will note even be logged in the election in which they are, currently, now being cast?
I and probably a zillion other people didn’t know this.
It sounds lousy. Not sarcasm. 
Even if the candidate properly registered as a write in candiate, in many states/precincts the automatic tabulation system will simply count up all the write-ins and they’ll only go back and check by hand who the write-ins were for in the event that “write in” beats the other candidates.
Here’s one that’s irksome – it was decisive in the San Diego mayoral election: enough people had written in “Donna Frye” for her to win. But…a few dozen people had written in her name but had failed to check the box next to the name!
A judge (whose opinion I cannot respect) determined that those votes didn’t count, because the intent of the voter wasn’t clear. (Hmph!)
Meanwhile, today, a friend of mine got his by-mail ballot back in the mail. He was in time to go to his regular voting place, so he got his vote in. This one, however, was entirely his blunder; he had thought, incorrectly, that by-mail ballots were postage-pre-paid. Nuh uh! A stamp was needed. He came that close to throwing away his vote!
Dot the i’s, cross the t’s. Details matter.
This, or if not this, then somebody must count write-ins at some point. They have a snowball’s chance in hell of ever winning any race, but it’s been known to happen.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was defeated by a Tea Party opponent in the primary election in 2010, and then ran on her own as a write-in candidate. She won. ( Wiki article )
Leo Bloom is not eligible to be President of the United States, being a citizen of the Republic of Ireland. :dubious:
He could be elected President of Ireland, but he doesn’t fit one requirement, being named “Mary,” although he may qualify as of the last election due to being “odd.”
According to Wikipedia though, he was used as a Congress-related joke by Jon Stewart in America (The Book).
In other words, a proper write-in should be ludicrous.
I should also mention that your state’s Secretary of State or Elections page should have the county-by-county election results stowed away somewhere. Checking the 2008 election in my home county, it doesn’t even have total write ins listed, with them presumably just left out of the total. Although I think perusing the results from earlier elections I’ve seen a few that had all the Mickey Mouses and such tabulated. I’m guessing it was more common back when most precincts were counted by hand anyways.
Ulysses, Cyclops:
Bloom was talking and talking with John Wyse and he quite excited with his dunducketymudcoloured mug on him and his old plumeyes rolling about.
– Persecution, says he, all the history of the world is full of it. Perpetuating national hatred among nations.
– But do you know what a nation means? says John Wyse.
– Yes, says Bloom.
– What is it? says John Wyse.
– A nation? says Bloom. A nation is the same people living in the same place.
– By God, then, says Ned, laughing, if that’s so I’m a nation for I’m living in the same place for the past five years.
So of course everyone had a laugh at Bloom and says he, trying to muck out of it:
– Or also living in different places.
– That covers my case, says Joe.
– What is your nation if I may ask, says the citizen.
– Ireland, says Bloom. I was born here. Ireland.
The citizen said nothing only cleared the spit out of his gullet and, gob, he spat a Red bank oyster out of him right in the corner.
BTW, what happens if you write-in your choice of candidate instead of checking the box, i. e. you write: Barack Obama instead of checking the box next to the President’s name?
What if you misspell the name (Bronco Bama)?
This is the case in most jurisdictions for the general election.
In New York State, the Board of Elections publishes vote totals for registered write-in candidates as part of their official tally. All of the rest are grouped under the heading “Scattered votes” see the final 2 pages of the 2008 results for an example.
(Curiously, two of the nine people who registered as write-in candidates got zero votes, suggesting they didn’t even vote for themselves)
That’s great.
- They got bragging rights but didn’t throw their vote away.
- For the first time I get it: they didn’t want to join any club that would have them for a member.
I can see one good reason for requiring registration for write-in candidates: establishing voter intent. If I write in John Smith, how could they possibly know which John Smith I mean? If only one John Smith is registered, then the intent is clearer.
This goes back to voter intent and would probably be messy if it mattered. The further away you get from correct, the more likely some judge or other official is going to use their personal judgment.
I dunno about other states. In Illinois, any write-in must have prior approval (I have no idea what the process is.) I’ve been an election judge for many elections now; at the end of the voting period, when the votes are counted, we are given a list of registered write-in names, and the voting machine shows us the total (just as “write-ins”); then we sort through the ballots looking for any such votes, to see who they were for. It’s a time-consuming waste, if you ask me. People who just on the spur-of-the-moment write in their mother or Brad Pitt are just wasting their vote.
Wow, an Administrator and an election judge. :eek:
And this pisses me off as it effectively acts as a ($1.20) poll tax for those of us who are disabled or otherwise really can’t come to vote on election day. It’s even worse that, at least according to my envelope, they did not have to pay to send me the ballot. Why the hell can’t mail sent to them enjoy the same privilege?
It’s no more wasting your vote than writing in anyone else. Just because you count some of them doesn’t mean those actually matter any more. Both are just a vote against one or more candidates who are on the ballot.
And registering for write-in status kinda defeats the point of the concept. Why should I have to write in someone if you know they’re running? Put them on the ballot.
Thanks to Florida the voting laws are very clear and easy to follow.
The write in candidate must register with the Secretary of State.
The ballot must be marked to show the intent to cast a write in vote. The counting machine see ovals and boxes not words.
The write in name must be clear enough for the election workers to tell the voters intent. Misspelled names count but bad hand writing does not.
Florida actually did us a big favor. The rules well defined and clear to anyone that reads them. If you choose not to follow them that’s your problem. Don’t blame the election worker for disenfranchising your vote if you don’ follow the laws
I heard reports locally, and have found a bunch of reports on line…none from the USPS, notably, that improperly stamped absentee ballots are treated as high priority and delivered anyway.
Based on Trinopus’s comment, it doesn’t seem to be universally true in practice. I wonder if there is any truth behind what I read and saw.
-D/a