This Year’s Presidential Election Has Record Number of Declared Write-in Presidential Candidates

Most states permit write-ins for president, but only tally write-ins for candidates who filed a declaration of write-in candidacy. In seventeen states, the deadline for filing lies in the future, so at this time it isn’t possible to know the complete list. But already there is a record number of declared write-in presidential candidates. The biggest list is in Maryland, with 39. West Virginia has 34 and Montana has 33.


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This Year’s Presidential Election Has Record Number of Declared Write-in Presidential Candidates — 25 Comments

  1. rj, it depends on which state you are trying to get write in status for. Some states do, some don’t, some require at least some electors, and other’s have even higher requirements. For instance, in New York, a write-in candidate needs at least one elector, and can submit as many as 29.

  2. Does anyone know if Missouri has a list of declared write-ins going? I’ve been looking for one, but can’t seem to find it anywhere.

  3. There might be a write in candidate for Governor or Senator here in Missouri.To Martin Lindstendt not running .That would be hilarious.

  4. If you are a Martin Lindstendt hater I feel sorry for you .No exercise for ignorance

  5. Bo excuse for ignorance.if you lost faith in this country like me vote write in someone like Martin Lindstendt .It might not count .I also lost faith in the Republican party .Maybe a tornado will hit Missouri on Election day .A pro Trump county .Maybe wall Street will collapse to .Maybe Stockton or Jolplin Missouri will be hit that day to keep people from voting .

  6. In what states can you file a write-in candidacy on behalf of someone else against their will? Any chance some Republicans try to get Lindsey Graham write-in status even if he doesn’t file it himself? Is that even possible?

  7. In California that appears to be possible; it was done for Ron Paul in 2008 or 2012.

    Chris Powell, I’m surprised that write-in candidates can have 108 electors but ballot qualified candidates can’t. We’re working to get Mike Maturen of the American Solidarity Party as a write-in candidate in California.
    Can people from other states be California electors?

  8. I’m helping my cousin here in Tennessee with his absentee ballot and found out they have the candidates on the ballot listed, however there’s no listing of any of the eight write-in candidates included in the packet of information that goes along with the ballot.

  9. The Tennessee Secretary of State’s web page doesn’t include the list of write-in presidential candidates. I had to phone the office to find out who they are.

    California seems to be the only state which has write-in declarations of candidacy, in which some presidential candidate can be forced to be a write-in candidate.

    Oddly, California has no law requiring a presidential elector candidate to be a resident of California.

  10. Linda Golding,

    You can vote for a write-in candidate for any office that has write-in candidates. There are 13 presidential write-in candidates in Texas. There are only 4 other write-in candidates for other offices.

    http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/forms/2016-writein-presidential-certifications.pdf

    If you were voting on a paper ballot, you would simply put an X in the box labelled “Write-In” and then write the name of the candidate.

    On a voting machine, you would select “Write-in” just like you would any other candidate. What happens next will depend on the type of voting machine, which varies among counties.

    In the machines that I am familiar with, which is in Harris County, there will be a screen where you select letters one by one to spell out a name.

    It is a requirement of Texas law that the list of write-in candidates be posted in each polling booth. You are also permitted to take a sample ballot or list of candidates into the polling booth. You can also have a mobile phone with the information on it in a passive form (you can’t call out to find out who to vote for). This is a new law, so I’d have a paper version – it is simpler to use that, than argue with an election clerk.

    Names do not have to be spelled correctly so long as they can figure out who you are voting for. In previous elections, once a particular spelling was accepted, all others were accepted. You only have to enter the name of one candidate.

    While you can write-in the name of a non-candidate, it will be ignored.

    Which county do you live in, and have you ever used their voting machines?

  11. Mr. Winger, I had to request an email from the Tennessee SOS office to get a list just to find out who the write-in candidates were.

  12. I voted for Ralph Nader in Texas in 2004 and 2008 as a write-in It’s easy. Write -in slot is on the ballot But I believe that a write-in candidate must have an “official” status in order to be counted. I remember seeing a list of
    official write -in candidates posted on the door of the poll location.

  13. Will the various Militias have to be mobilized to count the zillion Prez write-in votes by the vote counting DEADLINE in each gerrymander area – State or DC ???

    or — of course — will the write-ins be totally ignored UNLESS by super magic they are more than about 25-35 percent of the total Prez votes in each gerrymander area — in which case there might be a TOTAL panic.

  14. Illinois requires candidates to file an original, notarized Declaration of Intent with each of 109 counties and cities. So well funded and committed candidates,or those who are tight with a notary tend to file. Amazingly 11 candidates have filed with most counties and another dozen filed in some counties. The result is a patchwork of different lists of qualified write-ins which the state makes no attempt to track. County lists range from 6 qualified presidential write-ins to 18.

  15. What is the American solidarity party .Do they support three day weekends which I support .

  16. What are the deadline dates for filing to accept write-in voting for presidential candidates in the 34 states that require paper filing?

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