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Write-in candidate - Definition and Overview |
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A write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the person's name. Write-in candidates rarely win, and votes are often cast for ineligible people or fictional characters. Most jurisdictions require write-in candidates to be registered as candidates before the election. This is usually mandatory in elections with large pools of potential office-holders, as there may be multiple people with the name that is written-in.
Strom Thurmond in 1954 became the only person ever to be elected to the United States Senate as a write-in candidate. Dale Alford became the second Congressman when he was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1958. Joe Skeen was the third write-in candidate elected to Congress in 1980. Ron Packard was the fourth write-in candidate elected in 1982 and the only one to defeat the candidates of the Democratic and Republican parties.
During the 2002 United States Congress Elections, film-maker Michael Moore led a campaign for voters to submit a ficus tree as a write-in candidate. This campaign was replicated across the country and was recounted in an episode of The Awful Truth.
Other famous write-in candidates
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