Massachusetts, like most states, provides that write-in presidential candidates should file a declaration of write-in candidacy if they want their write-ins tallied. But this year, the Secretary of State, for the first time, has refused to tally up the votes for these candidates. There were only five declared write-in presidential candidates in 2020 in Massachusetts. The Secretary of State says if they want to know how many write-ins they received, they should contact each town election office. However, even if they did that, the publications that compile and print the national election returns would not recognize such vote totals, because they wouldn’t be “official”.
Other states that formerly tallied write-ins for declared write-in presidential candidates, and which no longer do, are North Dakota and Virginia.
The write-in presidential candidate in 2020 who probably got the most votes is Brian Carroll, presidential nominee of the American Solidarity Party. Thanks to Tony Roza for this news.
Do declared write-in candidates have to pay a fee?
There is no fee in Massachusetts. Just the list of electors who also have to submit proof that they are registered voters by getting there town clerk to give them a particular form. Apparently in Massachusetts the state doenst know who the voters are.
In Texas, write-in candidates are _entitled_ to have their votes counted. This is indistinguishable from the entitlement to be on the ballot for independent candidates. The entitlement is vested in political parties. That is why if a party nominee is found to be ineligible, the party may name a new nominee.
For example, when John Ratcliffe was deemed ineligible to run for Congress, the Republican party nominated Pat Fallon. Fallon paid no filing fee.
That is why the filing fee for Libertarian and Green Party candidates is unconstitutional. The law says that the nominees are ineligible if they don’t pay the fee. Texas has always used eligibility to mean eligible to hold office. Before adoption of the Australian ballot, eligibility was determined after the votes were counted. After the government began printing ballots, eligibility was determined prior to printing the ballots.
Eligibility is based on things like age, citizenship, residency, etc. For most offices these are exclusive requirements, and imposition of an additional fee as an eligibility requirement violates the Texas or US Constitutions.
It is also an equal protection violation since the entitlement to have a party nominee who is eligible is vested in the party.
Somebody please run against Galvin in 2022.
Required office qualifications vs Required ballot access items.
MORE *NONVOTES* FOR THE UN-REPORTED WI PREZ FOLKS.