Votes & ballots · Presidential elections
Write-in votes
Votes for a candidate whose name the voter writes onto the ballot.
Write-in votes are cast by writing (or typing) a candidate's name rather than marking a printed one. States report them very differently — some publish every scattered write-in, some tally only write-ins for registered write-in candidates, and some report a single lump sum. On pumsdata they are folded into the 'other' vote bucket.
Those reporting differences mean state and county files don't always agree on write-ins: a state's summed county 'other' vote can genuinely differ from the state file's 'other' total because the two sources capture write-in and scattering votes differently. Democratic and Republican totals reconcile far more tightly, so margins and major-party shares are unaffected.
Also known as: scattering, scattered votes.
See write-in votes in the data
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Write-in votes — FAQ
What is write-in votes in election results data?+
Votes for a candidate whose name the voter writes onto the ballot. Write-in votes are cast by writing (or typing) a candidate's name rather than marking a printed one. States report them very differently — some publish every scattered write-in, some tally only write-ins for registered write-in candidates, and some report a single lump sum. On pumsdata they are folded into the 'other' vote bucket.
Why does write-in votes matter?+
Those reporting differences mean state and county files don't always agree on write-ins: a state's summed county 'other' vote can genuinely differ from the state file's 'other' total because the two sources capture write-in and scattering votes differently. Democratic and Republican totals reconcile far more tightly, so margins and major-party shares are unaffected.
Where does this election results data come from?+
County-level presidential returns come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (MEDSL). pumsdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with MEDSL or with any campaign, party or election authority.