Hehe.
Ever notice that Karl Rove and Darth Vader are never seen together in the same room at the same time? Coincidence? I think not…
Cues Darth Vader theme music (aka “The Imperial March”)
Leaving it blank is legal. Writing in a name would, in many constituencies, mean a null vote, which in turn means that the rest of what you voted would count zero (assuming it was all in one of those huge cards).
Please tell me what this lever thing is that keeps getting mentioned?
Old (and still in use) voting machines had mechanical levers that you would pull to register your vote. Most of the ones I used had you set the various little knobs to the candidates you wanted and then when you were finished you pulled a large lever on the side. That tabulated your votes and reset the machine for the next voter.
Smithsonian’s information on gear-and-lever voting machines
The best image illustrating the gear system is the “gear and lever poster” just above the picture of Ronald Reagan. Click to enlarge.
If you want to register your discontent, the best way would be to write a letter to said CongressCritter and/or the party. Otherwise, they really have no way of knowing that YOU didn’t vote for him, much less why.
I worked with a guy once, who, when he went to vote, got his ballot and then went straight down to the other end of the table to turn it in, **completely ** blank. The little old lady at the table kept trying to explain to him that he needed to go fill in the ballot first before turning it in, and he kept trying to explain to her that he knew exactly what he was doing.
My town in Connecticut still uses the mechanical gear and lever voting machines.