The official election code refers to the fact that a voter who wishes to cast a vote for a write-in Presidential candidate must write-in the names of his/her 21 Presidential Electors on the ballot. However, according to a PA Bureau of Elections official, historically counties in PA have counted whatever is written in. If voters write in the actual candidateās name, that write-in vote has been counted for the candidate. The official said that the distinction between āpresidential electorā and āpresidential candidateā is allowed to be blurred. However, he said that he always advises write-in candidates to contact the various counties in PA to assure that all the votes written in for them are counted as such ā for example, without that communication, some counties might not watch out for various spellings of a candidates name, and end up counting them as separate votes, etc. The official admitted that
Author: Lavapen Page 2 of 6
Executive Director Bob Kando of the Rhode Island Board of Elections said that he is not aware of there being any procedures in
Write-in votes are not allowed in primary elections or the election of President or Vice-president.
There are no requirements for write-in candidates for President in order to have votes counted. The candidate needs to fill out and turn in the āWrite-In Candidate Acceptanceā form by
Running as a Write-In Candidate in the General Election
A person who intends to be a write-in candidate for President of the
The sworn Certificate of Write-In Candidacy must contain the complete address of the candidate and the names and complete addresses of the candidateās 3 presidential electors. A sworn certificate of acceptance signed by the candidateās presidential electors must accompany the Certificate of Write-In Candidacy.
The certificate of acceptance for each elector is included as part of the Certificate of Write-In Candidacy. If the presidential candidate has a vice-presidential running mate, the name and complete address of the running mate shall be contained on the Certificate of Write-In Candidacy as well. If there is no vice-presidential running mate, the certificate shall be appropriately marked. The sworn vice-presidential certificate of acceptance is also included as part of the Certificate of Write-In Candidacy.
NDCC
A Complete Filing Must Include
1. A Certificate of Write-In Candidacy President of the United States General Election (SFN 18440);
2. A Statement of Interests (SFN 10172) or a like personal disclosure statement required by the Federal Election Commission for presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
The filing deadline with the Secretary of State is October 14, 2008 by
Write-in candidacy for president is not allowed.
The candidate will need to submit a ācertificate of candidacyā which may be drawn up by, and must be signed by the candidate. The ācertificateā must contain the following:
ā¢ Name and address of presidential candidate
ā¢ Name and address of vice-presidential candidate
ā¢ Name and address of at least one elector
The certificate should be accompanied by, and make reference to the following:
ā¢ a signed ācertificate of acceptanceā from vice-presidential candidate ā needs to be NOTARIZED
ā¢ a signed ācertificate of acceptanceā from at least one elector ā needs to be NOTARIZED
Here are samples of the certificates of acceptance that may be used:
Sample ācertificate of acceptance vice-presidentā
Sample ācertificate of acceptance presidential electorā
DUE
Mail to:
NYS BOARD OF ELECTIONS
ALBANY, NY 12207-2108
Joint Write-In Candidates for President / Vice-President
Joint write-in candidates must file with the
1. A properly completed Declaration of Intent to be Joint Write-in Candidates (Form 13-A).
The declaration of intent must contain the names and signatures of both the candidate for president and the candidate for vice president. (Please note: Only candidates who have filed declarations of intent are eligible to have votes counted in the general election.); and
2. A slate of presidential electors. Joint write-in candidates must file a list of names of 20 electors who will represent them in the Electoral College, should the candidates win the general election.
(R.C. 3513.257)
Filing Fee: None.
DUE by SEPTEMBER 2, 2008
Ohio Secretary of State
ATTN: ELECTIONS
Their elections department said that
An individual seeking to become a write-in candidate for President must file with the SBE:
1) a ādeclaration of intentā, and
2) a petition containing the signatures of 500 qualified voters of the State
by noon on the 90th day before the general election ā Monday, August 4, 2008.
Verification by the chairman of the county board of elections shall be completed within two weeks from the date the petitions are presented.
* Before collecting of signatures begins, the candidate needs to file a āPetition Request Formā with the NC State Board of Elections.
PETITIONS:
— The candidate will need to download and print out the āWrite-in Petitionā form to use for collecting petitions.
— Each form contains blanks for 20 signatures.
— The signers must be registered voters in
— Write-in candidates need to collect 500 signatures. Everything is due by August 4th.
— The petition forms are to be segregated by county. All signers on a particular petition form need to be residents of the county named on that form. When all the signatures are collected, the candidate or a representative will need to submit them to the appropriate county’s board(s) of elections. These county boards of elections will verify the signatures on the forms within two weeks time, and then the petitions can be collected back from them. Then, all the verified petitions will need to be delivered to the state board of elections. Along with the candidateās “Declaration of Intent”, the 500 verified signatures on these petitions will complete the candidateās application for write-in candidacy.
The state board of elections said that it is possible to mail in the petitions to the boards of elections, and have them mailed back, but most often they are brought in in person.
* * * *
Instructions for the “Petition For Write-In Candidate In Partisan Elections” form:
1) There are three blanks at the top of each petition form which must be filled out. The first is to identify which county the signatures are being collected in. The second should say the candidateās name. The third should say, “President of the United States”.
2) The rest of the form is devoted to the petition signers, and is self-explanatory. It asks for each signer’s name, residence address, city, town & zipcode, birth date, and signature.
The signers must be registered voters in the appropriate county.