WRITE-IN Protest Campaign

WRITE-IN Protest Campaign

The leadership of CPWA has been hearing a sense of frustration among voters at the choices left to us by the Top Two Primary system in many races across the state. We have been asked a lot of questions about a “Write-in Protest Campaign”. Here are some answers to those questions:

-Can a candidate who ran for public office in the Primary election run as a write-in candidate for the same office in the General Election? NO

-Can a candidate who ran for public office in the Primary election run for a different office as a write-in candidate in the General Election? YES

-Does a candidate have to reside in the district in which they wish to run for office as a write-in candidate? Yes and No. A candidate for a State office must reside within the district for which they wish to run. A federal candidate must only be an “inhabitant” of the state for which they wish to run.

-What is an “official” write-in candidate?
An “official” write-in candidate is one who has filed the appropriate paperwork with the Secretary of State’s office, and has paid the filing fee.

-What is an “unofficial” write-in candidate? An “unofficial” write-in candidate is someone whose name is written in without filing the appropriate papers or paying the filing fee with the Secretary of State’s office.

-Are write-in votes recorded?
Yes and No. They are not recorded by the name of the candidate unless the number of votes received can change the outcome of the race. They are recorded as an “undervote”.

-What is an “undervote”?
An “undervote” occurs whenever no one is selected in a particular race. For example: Alien vs. Predator. Conscientious objectors to such a choice might choose to not mark for either candidate or to write-in "none of the above", or write-in the name of an “official” write-in candidate, or write-in the name of an “unofficial” write-in candidate, something entirely different. This is tabulated as an “undervote” and will be noted in the statistics as such.

-What if more than one candidate is marked in any given race?
This is called an “overvote” and is tabulated as such. In this case no vote is given to any candidate in that particular race.

-What about the phrase, “None of the Above”, as a write-in vote?
A write-in of “None of the Above” is tabulated as an “undervote”. Some states have this written into their election law as a viable option that can force a special election in a particular race should the “None of the Above” option reach 51% or more, but is not available to voters in the State of Washington.

-How does a voter write a write-in vote so it counts as a vote for a particular candidate should the numbers of votes for that candidate meet the threshold requirement for tabulation?
If the candidate has NOT filed as a write-in, then he must receive votes which are clearly and definitely for the same person in order for those votes to count. Write-ins must also receive more votes than either of the printed names before the election officials will look at the write-in names. Any write-in campaign should let the public know how to correctly write-in the name so it appears correctly and consistently on all ballots.

If you desire to participate in a WRITE-IN Protest Campaign, remember the following things:
-Everyone must write in the exact same name, spelling counts! For example,
o None of the above
o Randall Yearout
o Mary Ruth Edwards
o Clint Didier
-Unless your “write-in” attains enough votes to change the outcome of the race, it will be counted as an “undervote”, but that is an indicator of voter displeasure with the choices before them and we will make use of those numbers.
-This will only work if we get a sufficient number of voters to understand the process and to actively participate in the process.

PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!