Attention, Ron Paul People in PA - Info. Re: Write-Ins

[SnappleLlama]

Okay, I had to write to the PA Bureau of Elections three times (I wanted the response in writing), but here's the official word on writing in a candidate for President (note: I replaced the real names with X's):

Dear Ms. XXXXX,


Thank you for your email requesting information on how to write in a candidate for President of the United State.

Below I have included the precise election code referring to a write in candidate. In brief; you may write in the presidential electors (not the presidential candidate). In Pennsylvania there are 21 electoral votes, you need to write in these 21 electors in order for those individuals to vote for the candidate of your choice.

25 § 3031.12. Election day procedures and the process of voting

(3) A voter may, at any primary or other election, vote for any person or persons for any office for which his name does not appear upon the ballot label as a candidate, by writing the identification of the office and the name of such person in or upon the appropriate receptacle or device provided for that purpose. No write-in vote shall be cast on a voting device for any person for any office, whose name appears on the ballot label as a candidate for that office, and any ballot so cast shall be void and not counted.


(4) At any general election at which presidential electors are to be chosen, each elector shall be permitted to vote by one operation for all the presidential electors of a political party or political body. For each party or body nominating presidential electors, a ballot label shall be provided containing only the words "Presidential Electors," preceded by the names of the party or body and followed by the names of the candidates thereof for the office of President and Vice-President, and the corresponding counter or registering device shall register votes cast for said electors when thus voted for collectively. If any elector desires to vote a ticket for presidential electors made up of the names of persons nominated by different parties or bodies, or partially of names of persons so in nomination and partially of names of persons not in nomination by any party or body, he may write or deposit a paper ballot prepared by himself in the receptacle provided in or on the voting device for that purpose, or he may list their names on the write-in ballot or envelope provided for that purpose. The voting device shall be so constructed that it will not be possible for any one voter to vote a straight party ticket for presidential electors and at the same time to deposit a ballot for presidential electors in a receptacle as hereinabove provided. When the votes for presidential electors are counted, the votes appearing upon the counter or registering device corresponding to the ballot label containing the names of the candidates for President and Vice-President of any party or body shall be counted as votes for each of the candidates for presidential elector of such party or body, and thereupon all candidates for presidential elector shall be credited, in addition, with the votes cast for them upon the ballots deposited in the machine, as hereinabove provided.


XXXXX
Department of State
Bureau of Commissions, Elections & Legislation
Division of Elections/Precinct Data

[amy31416]

Below I have included the precise election code referring to a write in candidate. In brief; you may write in the presidential electors (not the presidential candidate). In Pennsylvania there are 21 electoral votes, you need to write in these 21 electors in order for those individuals to vote for the candidate of your choice.



Same thing I've found. Crazy, isn't it? So we have to write in 21 names (what are they?) and also Ron Paul's on an electronic voting machine.

Could they make it more difficult?

[SnappleLlama]

Same thing I've found. Crazy, isn't it? So we have to write in 21 names (what are they?) and also Ron Paul's on an electronic voting machine.

Could they make it more difficult?

I have no idea where to even get those names...if anyone could give us a lead, we'd definitely appreciate it here in PA!!!

I wrote to my local elections bureau and they mentioned that I could request a paper ballot, so that I could "write-in" a candidate...perhaps we can write in the 21 names there? This is so frustrating!

[AJ Antimony]

Fucking hell, stop dreaming. Ron Paul is not on the ballot which means he's not on the ballot. That's not your fault, it's the fault of typical moron American voters and typical party/media bullshit.

Ron Paul even said not to write him in. It's the actual definition of a wasted vote.

You're going to have shit choices every election, learn to cope with it like an intelligent person.

Or you can write in Ron Paul for the rest of your life because everyone who isn't him is shit. Writing in Paul gives you a 0% chance of influencing policy. Voting for someone on the ballot at least gives you a chance greater than 0.

Day dream is over. Welcome to reality.

[Kludge]

Fucking hell, stop dreaming. Ron Paul is not on the ballot which means he's not on the ballot. That's not your fault, it's the fault of typical moron American voters and typical party/media bullshit.

Ron Paul even said not to write him in. It's the actual definition of a wasted vote.

You're going to have shit choices every election, learn to cope with it like an intelligent person.

Or you can write in Ron Paul for the rest of your life because everyone who isn't him is shit. Writing in Paul gives you a 0% chance of influencing policy. Voting for someone on the ballot at least gives you a chance greater than 0.

Day dream is over. Welcome to reality.

+1 - frustration :)

[SnappleLlama]

Cool, guys...thanks for the input. Don't worry about my vote, though. I'm only going to be voting for someone I believe in.

[Kludge]

Cool, guys...thanks for the input. Don't worry about my vote, though. I'm only going to be voting for someone I believe in.

Write in yourself, I'd imagine your policies are better aligned with your views than those of Dr. Paul.

[SnappleLlama]

Write in yourself, I'd imagine your policies are better aligned with your views than those of Dr. Paul.

LOL...that's actually a pretty good idea!!

[torchbearer]

I was about to post on this topic, but found this thread first.
And this is the problem with the "Write-in" stuff.

You aren't voting on a presidential candidate, you are voting on a slate of electors.
This slate will most likely have to file with the state, in some form or fashion, or, everyone will have to know what electors they want to vote for, and write their names in, assuming you state will even bother counting them.
No write-ins in louisiana.

This is a bad idea, we should boost our third party candidates, even if they split they votes down the middle.
Barr and Baldwin getting 15% combined would be huge.

[lasenorita]

Here's an article about write-in voting in PA from 2004:

Pa. writes off write-in candidates (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_262039.html)

[AJ Antimony]

I was about to post on this topic, but found this thread first.
And this is the problem with the "Write-in" stuff.

You aren't voting on a presidential candidate, you are voting on a slate of electors.
This slate will most likely have to file with the state, in some form or fashion, or, everyone will have to know what electors they want to vote for, and write their names in, assuming you state will even bother counting them.
No write-ins in louisiana.

This is a bad idea, we should boost our third party candidates, even if they split they votes down the middle.
Barr and Baldwin getting 15% combined would be huge.

I hate that our bloc is split. If all that 15% could be given to a single candidate, it could get him into the debates which would REALLY help our cause.

I'm one who thinks Bob Barr is the one to support for this reason.

I only look at who can best promote the liberty message up until November. I don't look at who would be the better president. Barr will not win. Baldwin will not win. But when I look at who's the better liberty messenger, Barr is the easy winner. He has the bigger party, the ballot access, the much better name recognition than Baldwin, the more money, the much more media attention/coverage, and because he is more mainstream than Ron Paul, he will interest plenty of new people to liberty who were turned off by Ron Paul's radical truth.

When looking at the Barr/Baldwin option intelligently, I think Barr is the better option.

EDIT: In regards to that VP everyone seems to hate, Wayne Allyn Root, in the debates I've seen him in, he kicks ass! He's always calm, smiling, and he really shows the audience that he is confident in his views. He would clean the floor with the D and R in the VP debates.

[brandon]

Cool, guys...thanks for the input. Don't worry about my vote, though. I'm only going to be voting for someone I believe in.

+1

[moostraks]

Lovely McCain campaign crap at the bottem...Could they get a spell check maybe before spreading their lies???

[kombayn]

^HAHAHAHA!!! Speaks wonders about the McCain campaign, they don't even bother to spell-check. Anyways, I say support any 3rd party candidate, damn who it may be.

[torchbearer]

I hate that our bloc is split. If all that 15% could be given to a single candidate, it could get him into the debates which would REALLY help our cause.

I'm one who thinks Bob Barr is the one to support for this reason.

I only look at who can best promote the liberty message up until November. I don't look at who would be the better president. Barr will not win. Baldwin will not win. But when I look at who's the better liberty messenger, Barr is the easy winner. He has the bigger party, the ballot access, the much better name recognition than Baldwin, the more money, the much more media attention/coverage, and because he is more mainstream than Ron Paul, he will interest plenty of new people to liberty who were turned off by Ron Paul's radical truth.

When looking at the Barr/Baldwin option intelligently, I think Barr is the better option.

EDIT: In regards to that VP everyone seems to hate, Wayne Allyn Root, in the debates I've seen him in, he kicks ass! He's always calm, smiling, and he really shows the audience that he is confident in his views. He would clean the floor with the D and R in the VP debates.

+1
Well thought out, My thinking was very similar to yours. Not that I don't understand the purest longing for president Paul, but i'm looking at 2008, not 2012. ;)