How closely the written-in name must match the actual name of the candidate depends on what the names of the regular candidates are. No joke! If there’s a Jill M. Zimon on the ballot as a regular candidate, and a Jill Q. Zimon filed as a write-in candidate, then the middle initial or name has to be there for the write-in vote to count. On the other hand, since Charlie Wilson’s adversaries in the primary were named Bob Carr and John Luchansky, there was no possiblity of confusion, so votes for “Wilson” would be sufficient, and “Wilsin,” “Wellson,” and “Welson” might be okay too, so long as the voter’s intent can be determined. These decisions are made by the Board of Elections. If the Board can’t decide it goes to … guess who? (Amazing how that Blackwell fellow is involved in so many things.)

Problem being that we were using the touch screens for the first time, folks were intimidated with the touch screen “keyboard”, or forgot how to spell these men’s names correctly – so neither of them got elected.

My experience was that you had to actually write/type the names in.

So, just so I understand, in order to be a write-in, you do have to actually file by a certain time with a certain number of signatures, yes? AND, if you meet whatever the write-in requirements are, then your name would appear under the ballot heading, “County Central Committee” – right? Instead of the words “write-in”?

My only confusion there, then, is that how would you know the difference between a bona fide candidate for a county centcomm position and a write-in candidate for the same position? would there be separate places at which you’d touch the screen to select – that is, they wouldn’t be running against one another?

AND…again, here’s where it makes no sense: if no one existed as a write-in, and so the words “write-in” are on the ballot screen, AND you can write in a name but that name means nothing because that person never got certified or whatever as a write-in (whereas if he or she had, he or she would have been listed by name – not as a write-in??), then why did they even have that as a choice at which you need to cast a vote?

FOR EXAMPLE: Charlie Wilson – did people have to literally write in his name? OR…was his name on the ballot as a “write-in” candidate?

Nevertheless … in your mind, Jill, in your mind, you can be the Precinct Generalissimo Commnder-in-Chief as a result of your vote, and that’s all right with all of us!

Each precinct (potentially) elects its own representative to the Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC). (See here for information.) Out of curiousity I looked at Pepper Pike ballots for a few precincts. I found: one had specific candidates for DCCC representative; one had “write-in” for DCCC representative; one did not have the office on the ballot.

It would appear that there might be many (hundreds?) of DCCC races to be reported in Cuyahoga County. Based on the BOE note (“Democratic County Central Committee results and voter turnout counts will not be posted until all precincts are counted”), I’m guessing that the results you seek might not be posted for a while. And I’m not sure where on the BOE site they will be posted because I can’t find the 2004 results for the Republican County Central Committee.

Sorry about the misinformation.