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Write-in candidates in SoCal are no joke. Election officials require them to qualify
A man casts his ballot during early voting
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Jeff Kowalsky
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Topline:
Write-in candidates in Southern California are no joke. Election officials require them to qualify. While many are already in, Tuesday is the deadline to be considered. The full list will be released to the public Friday.
The rules: The city of L.A. requires write-in candidates to file a form and pay $300 or submit 500 valid signatures, while other cities may not require anything except paperwork. Qualified candidate names are sent to county election officials and will post the information Friday for voters.
Some write-in candidates: As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Registrar of Voters listed 20 write-in candidates who filed in California for a wide range of races, from state Assembly and state Senate to governor. Of the 20, 11 filed as write-ins for the governor’s race.
Why it matters: Most write-in campaigns are a long shot but some have won: Lisa Murkowski won an Alaska U.S. Senate seat in 2010; Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony Williams was reelected in 2002.
Who gets counted: Only votes for qualified write-in candidates are counted and certified. Sorry, Mickey Mouse and George Washington.
How to find write-in candidates: Here’s the current list of qualified write-in candidates in L.A. County. Checking the box that says "Show only Write In Records" will show you write-in candidates. The city of Los Angeles maintains its own list for city races. Long Beach does too. Orange County election officials said Tuesday that they had no write-in candidates. A county spokesperson said qualified candidates will be posted online.
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