The Select Board Race Includes A Candidate Who Is Not On the Ballot. How Does A Write-In Campaign Work?

In the last few weeks, with Select Board candidate Bob DeCosta launching a high-profile write-in campaign in a three-way race for two seats that also features Jill Vieth and Clifford Williams, the Current has fielded several questions about how such campaigns work. With the help of town clerk Nancy Holmes, the Current has answered those questions here.

Can a write-in candidate win an election over a candidate on the ballot?

Yes. If a write-in candidate receives more votes than a candidate whose name is printed on the ballot, the write-in candidate will win.

Can a sticker be used to vote for a write-in candidate?

Technically, yes. But please don’t do it.

“While a sticker is not considered against the law, they are frowned upon, particularly by tabulator vendors and manufacturers, as they can mess with the tabulators, and this could cause issues for all ballots at a given election,” Holmes said. “Handwriting the candidate is the preferred method.”

Does spelling matter?

If you are writing in a candidate, you should try to spell their name correctly. But if you make a mistake, it most likely won’t invalidate your vote. If it is clear who a voter means to write in, slight inaccuracies won’t be held against them.

“As long as there is a strong appearance that the voter is naming a particular individual, slight variations in spelling are indeed allowed,” Holmes said.

Do you have to write in the candidate’s full name?

While it is best practice to write in a candidate’s full name, Holmes said that it is not required. Again, as long as it is clear who a voter intends to vote for, their vote will be counted.

How do the election workers know if someone has written in a candidate?

According to Holmes, election workers examine all ballots to check for write-in votes.

How are write-in votes tallied?

All write-in votes are counted by hand.

“All write-ins are counted, and any candidate with more than 10 write-ins [is named] in the results,” Holmes said.