The North Carolina State Board of Elections has finished its election returns for the November 8, 2016 election. Jill Stein received 12,104 write-ins for president. This is the largest number of presidential write-ins ever recorded in a North Carolina general election. The previous record had been Ralph Nader’s 1996 showing of 2,108.
It is conceivable that Ralph Nader might have received even more than 12,104 for president in North Carolina in 2000, his strongest year. However, because he didn’t qualify to have his write-ins tallied in 2000, no one will ever know. North Carolina won’t tally presidential write-ins unless the candidate files and submits a petition signed by 500 registered voters.
The November 2016 returns also show that 47,381 write-ins for president, for candidates other than Jill Stein, were cast. North Carolina county election officials were thus obliged to examine a total of 59,485 presidential write-ins, in order to tally the Stein write-ins. This was undoubtably costly and time-consuming. One hopes that North Carolina county election officials will realize that if Stein had been on the ballot, taxpayer money and resources would have been saved. If county election officials asked the legislature for a liberalization of the ballot access laws, at least for president, the legislature might listen. Thanks to Kevin Hayes for the news.
Rule of thumb for write ins for president. Take what they say it is and multiply by two.
Liberalization of ballot access laws, while I agree that they are needed, would not have helped matters here. County boards already have to sort through tons of write-ins for county races, which are counted if someone receives at least five votes in every precinct they are on the ballot for, as well as write-ins for people who petitioned (500 signatures) for Council of State races such as this year’s Commissioner of Labor race.
So what you’re saying Don, is that write-ins should be eliminated altogether? just go to digital input with audit-able results for review?
I disagree with Don, if Stein’s name appeared on the ballot we would have had a lot more votes.
@Don . . . how do you know if someone received at least five votes in every precinct unless you count them? Maybe they just aren’t reported? (Also, is five per precinct a minimum for each individual precinct or a minimum figure for the average per precinct?)