Write-in requirements are hard to meet

SALT LAKE CITY — It's not easy to meet candidate write-in requirements in Utah.

Sen. Bob Bennett would have an uphill battle if he chooses that road this year.

To keep a candidate eliminated in a party convention or primary from running as an independent, and so getting his name on the ballot, the Legislature years ago said an independent candidate must file in March like all party candidates. Because that deadline has passed, Bennett can't file as an independent.

Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen said the deadline for filing as a write-in candidate is 30 days before the November election — this year that's Oct. 4. So Bennett, who won't rule out such an effort, has plenty of time to decide on that course.

A write-in candidate's name does not appear on a ballot, either touch screen or paper/scan ballot.

Voters literally have to write in the person's name.

On a touch screen, you can choose the write-in option. A keyboard then comes up and you type in the candidate's name.

"As long as we can tell who the person is trying to write in, we'll count it," Swensen said.

For example, she said, it wouldn't matter if someone spelled Bennett's name wrong, as long as it was close.

"You can spell Rob, or just Bennett, no first name, or Bennett with only one "n" or one "t." We just have to tell what you're trying to do — we'll count it."

It is more complicated on a paper ballot, which some smaller counties use and Salt Lake County uses on its mail-in ballots.

Under state law, you still have to fill in the small oval with ink or pencil, then write in the person's name on the accompanying line. If you don't fill in the oval, the scanner won't count your ballot.

Even if a poll official can easily read the write-in candidate's name, "It's state law you have to fill in the oval; we can't count it otherwise," Swensen said.

In the past, some write-in candidates have printed up stickers with their name attached and passed them out to supporters to put on paper ballots.

But stickers are more trouble than they are worth, Swensen said, and could well lead to a spoiled ballot.

First off, of course, stickers don't work on a touch screen voting machine. Stickers can't be placed in the voting booth, they can't be placed on the screen, because no candidate advertising is allowed in the polling place.

A paper ballot will be ruined by putting a write-in sticker on it, since it's likely the scanner won't read the sticker and it could foul up the scanning machine, Swensen said.

But the most difficult part of a write-in campaign, experts say, is getting voters to remember your name, remember what race you are running in and get them to make the effort of writing your name on the ballot.

e-mail: bbjr@desnews.com