Welcome to Write-In Your Candidates
Every election, in every year, some voters decide that the candidates they see printed on their ballot are just not to their liking.Those are times when people choose to go with a “write-in” candidate rather than the common candidates.
Most All states allow for write-in candidates as well. When you receive your ballot, you will see a blank line just below the designated candidates for each party in each race. If you want to write in a candidate, go right ahead.
(Sidenote: It will be interesting to see how that plays out in the Alaska race for US Senator. Lisa Murkowski is not an easy name to spell)
Many people also like to use the ballot as a time to play a joke or two on elections staff. But remember, only the names of real people will be counted.
Most Counties have staff working on election night and they are prepared for write-in votes. Many voting tabulators have equipment where “normal” ballots fall into one stack, and ballots with write-ins fall into another stack. That way, elections staff can easily access the ballots with writing on them, not just ones with filled in bubbles.
Americans Elect, Struggles to Find a Suitable Third-Party Candidate
May 16, 2012
Americans Elect is going through some tough times. The advocacy group was created by several wealthy activists to place an independent presidential candidate on the ballot in all 50 states this fall. The trouble, it turns out, is that no one has met the group's standards to qualify for its presidential nomination, and Americans Elect has announced that it is suspending the process, at least for now.
It had sounded so impressive: Americans Elect would go through the trouble, state by state, of placing an independent "ticket" on the ballot, and then it would use new online technology to allow people to choose nominees for president and vice president. What was missing were credible candidates, and that's still the case.
The ballot access program has been going well, with Americans Elect on the ballot in more than half the states. But the closest that the group could come to a candidate is Buddy Roemer, the former governor and congressman from Louisiana. He ran for the Republican presidential nomination this year, was excluded from the debates, and went nowhere during the primaries. Roemer now concedes that he has failed to get enough online support to qualify for the group's ballot. He got about 6,000 "clicks" for his candidacy in an online system that required at least 10,000—1,000 in each of 10 states.
Roemer said he still wants the nomination and will work harder to get it.
"What Americans Elect has done for our country is revolutionary," he told reporters. "It is my sincere hope that they continue on their mission of putting forth a credible candidate to face the bought candidates—Barack Obama and Mitt Romney."
"The American people are hungry for reform and both parties are not providing it because they are too busy fighting like schoolchildren," he added.
Americans Elect leaders are now trying to figure out their next step. The group's leaders say the stumbling block was the concern of potential candidates that running for president would subject them and their families to intolerable levels of attack and unwelcome levels of scrutiny. And with the major party candidates already lobbing negative bombs at each other nearly every day, and the media on the hunt for embarrassing stories, those concerns are understandable.
Write-ins notch victories in NE Iowa
Story
By TINA HINZ, tina.hinz@wcfcourier.com | Posted: Wednesday, November 9, 2011 12:00 pm | (0) Comments
WATERLOO --- Voters in Northeast Iowa Tuesday had their say in who they want to lead their communities.
In some cases, voters favored newcomers. Mayors in Frederika, Garrison, Hawkeye, Holland, Norway, Reinbeck, Toledo, Tripoli and Waucoma all saw defeat.
Carrie Folkers of Alta Vista won by 11 votes against incumbent Linda Kobliska. Ron Walthart, a write-in, beat Chad Staton, also by 11 votes, for the mayor's seat in Quasqueton.
Write-in Kent Halverson did not anticipate a victory by such a wide margin for mayor in West Union. He earned 462 votes. Troy Schott had 128, and Marc Rue tallied 81. Nearly 48 percent of the city's registered voters --- 672 total --- submitted their ballots Tuesday.
"I always said that no matter either way, I just hoped people got out and voted," Halverson said. "I think they did for our town, so I'm pretty proud of that."
Halverson, a lifelong resident of West Union, is new to city government. The experience will require a lengthy learning process, he admits, but he said people's encouragement is what fueled his decision to run. He is looking forward to "bringing the community back together a little bit with a few different issues."
"I think word of mouth did most of the campaigning for me," he said. "I think it'll go well. I really do."
Brandon appears to be without a mayor after Bob Bearbower, 74, decided to call it quits after nearly three decades.
In other races, the incumbents will get to keep their jobs. Ted Vorwald of Fairbank came out nine votes ahead of Randy Robinson to fill a council vacancy.
"I said it could go one way or the other," Vorwald said.
Vorwald, who was appointed to the council about a year ago, said he will do his best to follow through with upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant and maintenance at Island Park. He noted the city has gained about 70 residents during the past decade and has the third-lowest taxes of 11 towns in Buchanan County. He hopes the town averages three to four new homes annually.
"We're pretty fortunate," he said. "We'll just have to try to keep moving the town forward because smaller towns are all fighting for survival."
Some council races produced a mix of old and new. Peggy Sherrets secured her seat by a landslide against longtime incumbent Duane Brandt.
