On Dec 26, 2008, at 3:40 PM, James Gilmour wrote:
Jonathan Lundell > Sent: Friday, December 26, 2008 5:58 PM
California write-in rules lie somewhere in that gap. Here's a sample:
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/cand_qual_wi.pdf
These requirements must be met in order for write-in votes to be
counted.
Having read quickly through these rules, I don't see clearly how a
"write-in candidate" is different from a "nominated candidate".
Both must formally register their candidacy by the due date, all the
information is public before the election, both must keep
proper registered accounts of their election expenses. There is
nothing informal about this process.
Maybe the rules on "write-ins" are quite different in other States?
I'm sure they are.
In California, I see a couple of significant differences. There's no
filing fee (or signatures in lieu of fee) for a write-in candidate,
and a write-in candidate can bypass the party primary. So for
example, Ralph Nader became a write-in candidate in California in the
2004 presidential election, because he wasn't nominated by a ballot-
qualified party, and couldn't collect enough signatures (many
thousands) to appear on the ballot as an independent candidate.
If a write-in candidate (or any candidate, for that matter) doesn't
spend much money ($1000 IIRC), her reporting expenses are minimal.
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