How to vote for a write-in candidate in Missouri

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri voters unpersuaded by party candidates can cast their ballots Tuesday for write-ins, but there are rules to follow in order for those votes to be counted.

Here’s a breakdown of how to vote for a write-in candidate in the state. Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Those in line when polls close still can vote.

ELIGIBLE WRITE-IN CANDIDATES

Missouri requires write-in candidates to file in advance with election authorities, meaning votes for Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan won’t count in the state.

Local and county level candidates file locally, while candidates for president, U.S. Senate and statewide seats must file with Secretary of State Jason Kander’s office, spokeswoman Stephanie Fleming said.

Eligible federal and statewide write-in candidates in Missouri include:

For president — “Rocky” Roque De La Fuente, Marshall Schoenke, Tom Hoefling, Laurence Kotlikoff and Evan McMullin.

For U.S. Senate — Gina Bufe, Patrick Lee, Thomas Morgan, Steven Wallace, Nathaniel (Nate) Malone and Jon Kelly.

For Congress — Harold Davis and Amber Thomsen.

For governor — Dave Altis, Theo Brown Sr. and Martin Lindstedt.

For statewide offices — Jake Wilburn is running for lieutenant governor and Arnie C. AC Dienoff is running for treasurer.

HOW TO PROPERLY MARK A BALLOT

Fleming said voters must mark ballots for a write-in vote and include the name of the office the candidate is seeking. For presidential write-in candidates, she said secretary of state officials are not aware of any requirement to also include their running mates. Write-in votes that include a party designation won’t be counted, and names marked on ballots must be “substantially similar” to the correct spelling of a write-in candidate’s name. Fleming said a misspelled name still could be counted, but it’s up to local election authorities to determine whether it’s close enough to the correct spelling.