Write-in Candidates in US Presidential Elections

General Questions
#1

Are write-in candidates allowed in US presidential general elections? The Wikipedia article mentions several victorious write-in candidacies in presidential primaries, but I didn’t see anything specifically stating someone’s name can be written in during a general election.

That list also appears to mention write-in candidacies by state – I’m guessing the individual states/jurisdictions set their own rules for the ballots for the general election of the president? Or would the same rules apply nationwide?

I know there are always joke campaigns urging us to write in a name in the general election, but is it always allowed? Or on a state-by-state basis? And/or only in primaries?

#2

It’s allowed in all but eight states. There is a way to write-in candidates, though the system differs by state.

#3

Interesting chart. Some of those entries for the various states say “for the general election” and some are more opaque.

I’m especially interested in the MD/DC/VA area. I see some articles claiming that Virginia does not allow write ins for the primaries; not sure if they exclude the general election.

#4

As the chart indicates, there are only a few states where a write-in vote is counted without the candidate having done any preparatory work. In most states the candidate must apply to the elections board to be a viable write-in candidate.

#5

How would that even work? Do voters also have to write in the electors? If you vote for Joe Lunatic and he doesn’t have a slate of elector candidates, you’ve essentially voted for nobody.

#6

From what I’ve seen via a spot check of election laws, many states deal with this problem by . . . ignoring it. God help them if Joe Lunatic ever wins.

(Some states require Joe to file a declaration of candidacy with an electoral slate before they’ll count his votes. But not all.)

#7

In Virginia, Joe Lunatic files some document stating that he expects write-in votes and providing a list of electors who will vote on his behalf. I assume that this must be done before the election, but I’m not sure.

#8

I have to question that site’s claim that there’s a “Constitutional Right to the Freedom of Choice at the Federal Election Ballot Polls”. Where in the text of the Constitution did they find that?