  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. the system is almost totally confined to elections in the united states. some u.s. states and local jurisdictions allow a voter to affix a sticker with a write-in candidate's name on it to the ballot in lieu of actually writing in the candidate's name. write-in candidacies are sometimes a result of a candidate being legally or procedurally ineligible to run under his or her own name or party; write-in candidacies may be permitted where term limits bar an incumbent candidate from being officially nominated for, or being listed on the ballot for, re-election. in some cases, write-in campaigns have been organized to support a candidate who is not personally involved in running; this may be a form of draft campaign. write-in candidates rarely win, and votes are often cast for ineligible people or fictional characters. some jurisdictions require write-in candidates be registered as official candidates before the election.see, for example, section 1-4-1101, colorado revised statutes (2008) this is standard in elections with a large pool of potential candidates, as there may be multiple candidates with the same name that could be written in. many u.s. states and municipalities allow for write-in votes in a partisan primary election where no candidate is listed on the ballot to have the same functional effect as nominating petitions: for example, if there are no reform party members on the ballot for state general assembly and a candidate receives more than 200 write-in votes when the primary election is held (or the other number of signatures that were required for ballot access), the candidate will be placed on the ballot on that ballot line for the general election. in most places, this provision is in place for non-partisan elections as well. ==united states== ===historical success of write-in candidates=== generally, write-in candidates can compete in any election within the united states. typically, write-in candidates have a very small chance of winning, but there have been some strong showings by write-in candidates over the years. ====presidential primaries==== *in 1928, herbert hoover won the republican massachusetts presidential primary on write-ins, polling 100,279. *in 1940, franklin d. roosevelt won the democratic new jersey presidential primary with 34,278 write-ins. *in 1944, thomas dewey won the republican pennsylvania presidential primary with 146,706 write-ins. he also won the oregon republican presidential primary with 50,001 write-ins. *in 1948, harold stassen won the republican pennsylvania presidential primary with 81,242 write-ins. *in 1952, robert a. taft won the republican nebraska presidential primary wit
Elections Political_parties_in_the_United_States