Sec. 9-265. Write-in votes.
Sec. 9-265. Write-in votes. (a) A write-in vote for an office, cast for a person who
has registered as a write-in candidate for the office pursuant to subsection (b) of section
9-175 or section 9-373a, shall be counted and recorded. Except as otherwise provided
in this section, a write-in vote cast for a person who has not registered shall not be
counted or recorded.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this section, in the case of an office for which
an elector may vote for only one candidate, a write-in vote cast for a person nominated
for that office by a major or minor party or by nominating petition shall be counted and
recorded. In the case of an office for which an elector may vote for more than one
candidate, a write-in vote cast for a person nominated for that office by a major or minor
party or by nominating petition shall not be counted or recorded.
(c) A write-in vote for the office of Governor or Lieutenant Governor, cast for a
person nominated for either of those offices by a major or minor party or by nominating
petition, in conjunction with a write-in vote for the other such office cast for a person
nominated for either office by a different party or petition, shall not be counted or recorded for either office.
(d) Except as hereinafter provided, a write-in vote for the office of President or
Vice-President cast for a person nominated for such office by a major or minor party
or by nominating petition shall be counted and recorded and deemed to be a vote for
each of the duly-nominated candidates for the office of presidential elector represented
by such candidate for President or Vice-President. A write-in vote for the office of
President or Vice-President, cast for a person nominated for either of such offices by a
major or minor party or by nominating petition, in conjunction with a write-in vote for
the other such office cast for a person nominated for either office by a different party
or petition, shall not be counted or recorded for either office.
(e) If the name of a person is written in for the office of Governor or Lieutenant
Governor, or President or Vice-President, as the case may be, and no name is written
in for the other office, such write-in vote shall be counted and recorded if it meets the
other requirements of this section.
(f) A write-in vote shall be cast in its appropriate place on the ballot. A write-in
vote for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, or for President and Vice-President, as the
case may be, shall be written in a single space, provided that if only one name is written
in the space it shall be deemed to be a vote for Governor, or for President, as the case
may be, unless otherwise indicated. A write-in vote shall be written upon the ballot.
(g) A write-in vote which is not cast as provided in this section shall not be counted
or recorded.
(1949 Rev., S. 1211; March, 1950, S. 262b; 1953, S. 741d; 1957, P.A. 561, S. 19; 1963, P.A. 401, S. 3; 1969, P.A. 280;
P.A. 77-82, S. 2; 77-245, S. 10; P.A. 81-350, S. 11, 17; P.A. 83-475, S. 22, 43; P.A. 87-589, S. 20, 87; P.A. 98-67, S. 2,
10; P.A. 07-194, S. 26.)
History: 1963 act provided for pairing of governor and lieutenant governor; 1969 act prohibited writing-in of candidates
name from two different parties where the names appear on the ballot label in casting votes for governor and lieutenant
governor and provided that a write-in of one name which already appears on the ballot unaccompanied by a write-in for
the other office bars the counting of the ballot; P.A. 77-82 included provision for candidates for office of presidential
elector to be deemed to appear on ballot label and names of presidential and vice-presidential candidates appearing on
ballot label shall be deemed to be candidates for the office under which designation their names appear, for the purposes
of this section; P.A. 77-245 changed "town" to "municipal" clerk; P.A. 81-350 amended section to require labeling of
write-in slides on voting machines; P.A. 83-475 deleted all of prior existing section and replaced with new Subsecs. (a)
to (g), inclusive, permitting write-in votes cast by electors for candidates whose names appear on the ballot label to be
counted for offices for which electors may only vote for one candidate, and setting forth procedure for casting write-in
ballots; P.A. 87-589 made technical change in Subsec. (g); P.A. 98-67 added provision in Subsec. (f) re when registrars
required to lock write-in slides, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 07-194 changed "write-in ballot" to "write-in vote" and made
conforming changes.
See Sec. 9-153e re write-in votes on special absentee ballots for certain military personnel.