y Alex Daugherty
adaugherty@mcclatchydc.com
Bernie Sanders doesn’t want to be president, but he could snatch three electoral votes in Vermont.
That’s because Vermont is one of seven states that allow voters to write in anyone for president, even if they have no intention of running for office.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are two of the most disliked presidential candidates ever, and Google searches for write-in ballots are
skyrocketing.
Vermont is one of the states asking Google about write-in votes the most. A write-in vote
for Sanders in Vermont would be treated like a vote for Trump or Clinton.
Only Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Iowa and Oregon allow voters to write in anyone for president.
In addition to Trump, Clinton and Libertarian Gary Johnson, who are on the ballot in all 50 states, five other candidates have access to enough votes to win in November.
Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Constitution Party candidate Darrell Castle, Reform Party candidate Rocky De La Fuente, independent Laurence Kotlikoff and independent Evan McMullin are either on the ballot or have filled out the paperwork to be considered as a write-in candidate in enough states to win.
McMullin is within striking distance of winning
Utah.
If a write-in candidate were to win a state on November 8 and Trump or Clinton fails to gain 270 electoral votes, the House of Representatives chooses the president between the top three candidates.
Write-in candidates have won Senate races in recent years. In 2010, incumbent Republican
Lisa Murkowski waged a successful write-in campaign after losing the Republican primary to a Tea Party challenger.
Read more here:
Write-ins could propel Bernie Sanders in Vermont, even though he doesn’t want to win
