Alex Vassar’s “OneVoter” blog has been covering California elections for many years, and also has a database of California election returns from the past. This OneVoter post covers the six candidates who won a spot on the November 2012 ballot via write-in votes. In California Congressional and legislative races at the June 5 primary, there were eight offices for which only one person filed to be on the top-two open primary ballot. In six of those districts, write-ins candidates filed. Whichever write-in candidate received the most write-in votes placed second. Under top-two rules, that person then qualified to appear on the November ballot.

The six write-in candidates who will advance are three Republicans and three Peace & Freedom Party members. The three PFP members are the only minor party members who will appear on the November ballot in a partisan race (except for President). One of the three PFP members, Lee Chauser, only received three write-ins, but because no other write-in candidate was running, he qualified for the November ballot.

Two races had only one person on the ballot, and no write-in candidate filed. Therefore, in those races, the November ballot will list one candidate, and no write-in space (because California’s top-two law eliminates write-in space in November). A voter in Assembly district 14, and in Assembly district 64, will be faced with only one choice, and no means to vote against that one choice. Thanks to Irv Sutley for the link.