# Write in candidate and the electoral college **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 21, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/write-in-candidate-and-the-electoral-college/766509 "2016-09-21T15:38:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bizerta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/write-in-candidate-and-the-electoral-college/766509/1 "2016-09-21T15:38:51Z")
With my love of both Hillary and Donald, I’m wondering … What’s the highest elected office where a write-in candidate won? By highest, I’ll use the largest vote count as the yardstick. With regard to the electoral college, can the electoral college vote twice? Say, for example, there is no majority and Bruce Springsteen carries New Jersey, and only NJ. May NJ re-vote for Donald or Hillary depending on whomever came in 2nd. Or does it go the House after the 1st vote. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/write-in-candidate-and-the-electoral-college/766509/2 "2016-09-21T15:56:44Z")
There is no re-vote. The votes of the Electors are opened by the President of the Senate (in this case, Joe Biden) in front of a joint session of the House and the Senate. The votes are tallied, and if there is no clear majority, the House of Representatives “shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President.” The House must choose from the top three vote-getters, so in this hypothetical, from Clinton, Trump, and Springsteen. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/write-in-candidate-and-the-electoral-college/766509/3 "2016-09-21T15:59:32Z")
With respect to write-ins, the highest level of position elected by a write-in campaign that I can think of is Senator: Lisa Murkowski, current Senator from Alaska, who won the seat as a write-in candidate in 2010. > **[2010 United States Senate election in Alaska](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_election_in_Alaska,_2010)** > > Lisa Murkowski > Republican > Lisa Murkowski > Republican > The 2010 United States Senate election in Alaska took place on November 2, 2010, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Alaska, alongside 33 U.S. Senate elections in other states, elections in all states for the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as various state and local elections. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/write-in-candidate-and-the-electoral-college/766509/4 "2016-09-21T22:02:28Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > With respect to write-ins, the highest level of position elected by a write-in campaign that I can think of is Senator: Lisa Murkowski, current Senator from Alaska, who won the seat as a write-in candidate in 2010. Sen. Strom Thurmond also won a write-in campaign, back in the 60s. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/write-in-candidate-and-the-electoral-college/766509/5 "2016-09-29T19:48:36Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > There is no re-vote. > > The votes of the Electors are opened by the President of the Senate (in this case, Joe Biden) in front of a joint session of the House and the Senate. > > The votes are tallied, and if there is no clear majority, the House of Representatives “shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President.” > > The House must choose from the top three vote-getters, so in this hypothetical, from Clinton, Trump, and Springsteen. Is top three vote-getters based on Electoral votes? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/write-in-candidate-and-the-electoral-college/766509/6 "2016-09-29T20:23:22Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Is top three vote-getters based on Electoral votes? Yes, it is the three people who received more votes from electors than any other candidate. In the election of 1824, Henry Clay received more popular votes than William Crawford, but Crawford received more electoral votes and it was he, along with Jackson and Adams, who went to the House. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/write-in-candidate-and-the-electoral-college/766509/7 "2016-09-29T20:53:15Z")
One does wonder how write-ins would work with regards to the Electoral College, though, since they wouldn’t have any designated electors. In the event that Springsteen did win a state, who would his electors be? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/write-in-candidate-and-the-electoral-college/766509/8 "2016-09-29T21:08:19Z")
The E Street Band, of course! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/write-in-candidate-and-the-electoral-college/766509/9 "2016-09-29T21:13:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > One does wonder how write-ins would work with regards to the Electoral College, though, since they wouldn’t have any designated electors. In the event that Springsteen did win a state, who would his electors be? Many states require write-in candidates to register, and also include the names of a vice presidential candidate and electors. That’s not the case for all states, however. It’s unclear what would happen if someone won a state but had no appointed electors in advance. [Here’s an article that details some of the laws on write-ins](http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/2/29/1493482/-Third-parties-and-write-ins-for-the-presidency-some-questions-and-some-answers), which are all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2016, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/write-in-candidate-and-the-electoral-college/766509/10 "2016-09-29T21:14:42Z")
Oregon law has the political parties select the electors, and whichever candidate wins then their party’s selections are the official electors … no mention of how this is done with independents … ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/write-in-candidate-and-the-electoral-college/766509/11 "2016-09-30T01:21:53Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Yes, it is the three people who received more votes from electors than any other candidate. > > In the election of 1824, Henry Clay received more popular votes than William Crawford, but Crawford received more electoral votes and it was he, along with Jackson and Adams, who went to the House. Thanks, that’s what I assumed, but I wanted to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/write-in-candidate-and-the-electoral-college/766509/12 "2016-09-30T14:53:50Z")
I just voted and I noticed on the ballot (from illinois, my last state of US residence) that although there is a provision for write-ins, they must be registered with the state or will be ignored. There was also a way of getting a list of all registered write-in candidates, if any, online.