NORWICH – As residents across Chenango County prepare to head to the polls on Tuesday, the Chenango County Board of Elections is working to clear up the procedure of write-in voting.
With many political hopefuls campaigning as a write-in candidate in several municipalities this year, expectations are high to see scores of write-in ballots come voting day on Nov. 5, explained Board of Elections Republican Commissioner Harriet Jenkins and Democratic Commissioner Carol Franklin.
“We won’t know how many write-ins there will be until (election) day,” said Jenkins. “But we are aware of quite a few, especially in Oxford.”
The ballot is easy to read, Franklin and Jenkins explained. The layout of the ballot shows a grid where each line has a political party and the names of each candidate who is running on that party’s ticket. Each column carries the name of the office each candidate is seeking. For names that appear on the ballot, simply fill in the oval next to the candidates name of the respective office they’re soliciting and slip the ballot into the voting scanner.
But write-ins are different. Unlike voting for someone who is already on the ballot, the process of write-in voting requires voters to know the name of the candidate and spelling, in addition to the office that candidate is vying for. Voters must write the name of their candidate on the “write-in” line of the ballot and in the column of the respective office that candidate is seeking.
And if a name is written in the wrong column, it counts as a vote toward the office where the name is written on the ballot, said Jenkins. “It’s the candidate’s job to let people know where to put their name on the ballot,” she added, clarifying that by law, voting inspectors can not tell voters the name of a write-in candidate or the spelling of a name. “Lots of (candidates) will take a sample ballot with them when they campaign and write their name in where it needs to go so people know where to put it on the official ballot.”
Any resident is eligible to be a write-in candidate, added Franklin; but unless a write-in candidate has actively campaigned beforehand, a write-in victory is rare. Franklin and Jenkins could recall only two write-in wins during their tenure with the county board of elections: Otselic Town Clerk Nika Cole and German Supervisor Richard Schlag.
After a voter writes the name of their candidate on the ballot and fills in the oval next to the name of candidates of their choosing that do appear on the ballot, the voting scanner separates write-in ballots from all others. When ballots make their way back to the county Board of Elections, write-in ballots are counted by hand, which could take some time depending on the number of write-ins. Results are then reported and posted on the Chenango County Board of Elections website.
In addition to clarifying the process of write-in voting, the board of elections is also reminding voters and candidates alike that campaigning is prohibited within 100 feet of the voting place. Residents are asked to refrain from showing clothing or any other item campaigning for a certain candidate before heading to the polls. This also includes car bumper stickers and magnets.
Sample ballots for all Chenango County municipalities have been posted to the county Board of Elections website for review. For more information regarding the upcoming election, visit www.co.chenango.ny.us/elections.