Secretary of state sets rules for casting write-in votes Tuesday
Today (Thursday) is the last day to get an absentee ballot application for the Dec. 12 special election to fill the unexpired term of Jeff Sessions, who resigned his U.S. Senate seat to become President Trump's attorney general.
Escambia County (Ala.) Circuit Clerk John Robert Fountain said anyone filing an application after Dec. 7 will not receive a ballot. He also noted residents of Alabama must either bring their absentee ballot in or have them mailed in by Dec. 12 to be counted. He said the exception is for residents serving in the military or out of the country. Those ballots have until Dec. 19 to arrive and be counted.
Voters across the state of Alabama will receive a ballot with only two names: Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones. Retired Marine Col. Lee Busby of Tuscaloosa has announced he is mounting a write-in campaign for the Senate seat. The winner will serve out Sessions' unexpired term until 2020.
Ed Packard, administrator of elections for the Alabama Secretary of State's Office, recently sent out information informing residents how to cast a write-in vote on Dec. 12.
On the ballot, voters will see five options: straight party voting for Republicans or Democrats; Jones or Moore; and then a box for a write-in candidate.
For a write-in vote to be counted, the name of the candidate must be written in and the 'bubble' by the write-in candidate's name must be darkened.
Packard noted if someone does mark a straight ticket, but then writes in a candidate, the write-in candidate will override the straight party vote.
Packard also noted that while the spelling of the write-in candidate is important, the vote will be counted if election officials can determine whom the vote was intended.
Packard said only the names of people qualified to serve in the U.S. Senate will be counted, noting writing in the name of a super hero, Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck will not be counted.
A write-in vote must also be handwritten and will not be accepted if a sticker or stamp is used.
Whether the write-in votes will be counted will depend on the number of write-in votes cast across the state.
According to Packard's release write-in votes won't be counted “unless the total number of write-in votes is greater than the difference in the number of votes received by the candidate who is in first place and the number of votes received by the candidate in second place.”
His example was if Susan Franklin received 300 votes and James Smith received 200 votes and there were 250 write-in votes cast, the 250 is greater than the difference between the two candidates and the write-ins would be counted. He also noted the write-in votes wouldn't be counted on election night but would be counted on the seventh day after the election, along with provisional ballots and absentee ballots submitted by military personnel and U.S. citizens residing overseas.
He noted write-in votes could possibly be counted in the event of an election contest.
Escambia County Judge of Probate Doug Agerton said the rules concerning write-in votes were gone over last week during the poll workers' training.
Agerton said voters can ask poll workers or others for help in casting a write-in ballot. He also said if a name is written in on the write-in spot, but the bubble by that name is not filled in the screen on the voting machine will display that no name had been selected and give the voter the option to correct the problem. If the voter refuses and the bubble is not filled in the vote will not count.
For more on election laws and dealing with write-in votes, visit the secretary of state's website at alabamavotes.gov.
