California State Senate to Vote on Abolishing Write-in Space on General Election

[angus]

I wrote in Alfred E. Newman once for state assembly contest.  It was 2002 and I was living in Alameda County, just inland from Oakland, and both the Democrat and Republican were spamming me with about five pieces per day.  All negative.  They had several televised debates on the local access channel.  It was getting pretty tiresome.

The Newman vote would not be counted, I learned later, since Alfred E. Newman was not a legitimate write-in candidate.  It would have the same effect as if I'd not voted in that race, I later learned.  Like just skipping that race, or leaving it blank, but voting in all the rest of them.  Same effect maybe, but not as satisfactory.  Somehow, it's just not as cathartic to skip it.  I think I'm against the proposal.

[angus]

The political class does not take kindly to being mocked.

Although, at least in Franken's case, they don't have any qualms about mocking others. 

Well, of course the idea of not voting in a particular race on a ballot has occurred to many people, and it'd probably be simpler to just have folks leave it blank.  And that would preclude the problem you mention, but that still leaves the problem of what to do when legitimate write-in candidates exist.  Having ballots prepared with an "other: ______ " option available is a cost-effective and sensible way to deal with the problem.  Otherwise, you'd have to change write-in candidate rules in a way that they have registration deadlines that occur in time to have ballots printed.  But if you're going to do all that, then why would they be a write-in candidate in the first place?  You could have their names spelled out properly if that were the case.