What Happens If You Misspell a Write-In Vote? It depends how badly you messed it up.

Slate ^ | Friday, September 17, 2010 | Alexa Tsoulis-Reay

[SunkenCiv]

Sen. Lisa Murkowski is expected to announce Friday night that she plans to run for re-election in Alaska as a write-in candidate. According to the New York Times, her aides have been considering the implications of asking voters to spell Murkowski on the ballot. Just how egregiously can you distort a write-in candidate's name before election officials discount your vote?

It's up to whoever counts the votes... (In Alaska, the elections director has said that Lisa M. would pass muster as a stand-in for Lisa Murkowski, but that Lisa on its own might cause problems.) There's rarely controversy over these decisions, as write-in candidates aren't usually strong contenders to begin with...

[SunkenCiv]

Lisa Murkowski

[cripplecreek]

Murcowsky

Murkhousekey

Mircowskey

[SunkenCiv]

If you don’t know how to spell the candidate’s name you shouldn’t be allowed to vote. Basic literacy by voting age is not too much to expect.

[I_Like_Spam]

This is a matter for local election officials and secretaries of state to determine.

They can be tough on it, or not so particular.

If they have paper ballots or old style machines in Alaska, a write in candidate can print stickers and distribute them to their voters, they’ve done that many times here in Pittsburgh.

[Cicero]

Murk. Cow. Ski.

[Brilliant]

If you spell it “Joe Miller,” then it’s not close enough to “Murkowski” to be counted.

[Brilliant]

Murkowski doesn’t want to have to give up her life in Washington DC, and move back to Alaska.

[Irish Eyes]

If you spell it “Joe Miller,” then it’s not close enough to “Murkowski” to be counted.

LOL

[mac_truck]

Just curious, are you an advocate of disenfranchising Alaska voters?

[Celtic Cross]

I imagine that with conservative candidates, they toss out any that aren't perfect, and with liberal ones, having the word '0b@/\/\a scrawled on it is enough to get it counted.

[Irish Eyes]

If they have paper ballots or old style machines in Alaska, a write in candidate can print stickers and distribute them to their voters, they’ve done that many times here in Pittsburgh.

To really confuse the issue I guess they could print out some Joe Miller stickers also.

[SunkenCiv]

/bingo

and

/bingo

[Undocumented_capitalist]

Murkowski will drain many republican votes from Joe Miller and
there is zero chance of her winning in a write in situation.

So obviously Murkowski is doing this as a vendetta against Tea Party in general and Sarah Palin & Joe Miller in particular.

What a sore loser & vengeful witch.

[woweeitsme]

Will she have enough pull to throw this seat to the Dems? If so, I hope that will make the establishment happy.

[Candor7]

Leapin' Liza thinks she can split the Republican vote and hand the seat to th Dems. This is how badly the Republican Party wants to prevent the people from making the Republican party reflect their will.

Lisa is a fraud, and a spoiler , a vested elitist of the country club Republicans. Its our job to rid ourselves of these parasites.

Republicans are about to become a third party if this continues.

[PhiloBedo]

LOL. On the other hand, writing in “lizard people” would be considered a vote for Murkowski (at least in MN).

[South40]

Mc +

[onyx]

Zactly!
Oh, I should type, exactly!

[DemforBush]

Would they accept it if I wrote “Big Whiny RINO”?

Cuz y’know, there seems to be a lot of them these days...

[dennisw]

Murkowski doesn’t want to have to give up her life in Washington DC, and move back to Alaska.>>>>>>>>>

She went to college in DC. That’s where daddy sent her.... Georgetown University (B.A.)