Yea, I wrote about this the other day and how funny it was that Kroger received around 400 write-ins, Greg Macpherson had almost 170, Kevin Mannix 50, and Ron Saxton just over 100 in Multnomah County.

The Oregonian had an article that said in the top 5 counties that Kroger had nearly 1,600 votes, and it looks like he might take the Republican nomination.

Kroger was quoted as saying that if he did indeed get the nomination, that he would accept it. That would mean that no Republican would be on the ballot in November.

If they had an election in Boston right now, Ellsbury might WIN a write-in vote.

Also, I was just about to write this up myself, but it seems the major implication is missing--Kroger likely has officially locked up the election by securing both major party nominations. Ironically, Macpherson did exactly the same thing in HD38 in 2006.

Here's some info on Leuenberger:

His website has helpful links regarding his legal interests and 2004 run for the Supreme Court.

The Willamette Week has some more background here, and, in another article, notes that Leuenberger paid his filing fee to run for a Multnomah County judgeship in silver coins.

Finally, Oregon Catalyst has some info on the write-in campaign.

My ballot was chock full of write-ins, for all the judicial positions where I don't know the incumbent. Pretty sure some of you in this comment thread even got my vote!

Serious question, though, I've always wondered. How does it get determined whether a write-in candidate appears on the November ballot? Will John Kroger get the Republican nomination? Will it be up to him? The ORP?

What if the person with the most write-ins had only 5 or 6 votes, would they be able to appear on the November ballot?

Let the record show, I kicked Jack Bogdanksi's ass!

I believe I beat you in Harney County, however.

"I believe I beat you in Harney County, however."

1-0? What's it out there, one voter per 100 sqmi?

;)

My favorite write-ins:

Jim Beam

Mick Jaeger

Judge Judy

Matt (The Law) Lindland

and my brother.

In Polk County, only 290 votes were cast for the G0P nomination for AG. Kroger came out on top again. Thought I might post it since most folks don't get to see Polk County results.

Here are the Top Ten followed by some well more interesting names.

John Kroger 39 Ron Saxton 28 Greg Macpherson 21 Kevin Mannix 13 Jim Leuenberge 12 Stan Butterfield 5 Lane Shetterly 4 Marvin Black, Jr. 4 Richard Wilson 3 W. Lincoln Watson 2

Most folks after this either got 2 or 1.

Names of Interest: Michael Jackson 2 Brian J. Boquist 2 Obama 1 Tom Hanks 1 Lars Larson 1 Jack Roberts 1 (Jack you got another one!) Bubba 1 Jesse Ventura 1 Ron Paul 1

On a brighter note, I beat out both God and the Pope in the Democratic Polk County Commissioner Write-in vote.

There is an incorrect statement about this at Loaded Orygun, saying: "As Mapes notes, the immediate implication is that Kroger's name would appear on both the Democratic and Republican lines for the general election, essentially locking up his victory even beyond the presumption lent by his primary win over Greg Macpherson."

First, Mapes did not say that.

Second, that statement is wrong. A person who wins and accepts the nomination of more than one party for the same office must choose to be identified on the general election ballot as the nominee of only one party and can appear only once on the general election ballot. No doubt Kroger will choose to be identified on the ballot as the D nominee. His victory in the R primary, however, will preclude the Rs from placing anyone on the general election ballot for AG.

But for Kroger's victory in the R primary, the R nomination would likely have gone to Ron Saxton (see vote totals above). It would not have gone to Greg Macpherson, because the loser of a primary election is not eligible to run for the same office in the general election. Ron Saxton would then have either accepted the R nomination or (more likely) would have refused it. If he had refused it, then the Rs, using internal party processes, could have nominated anyone as their candidate for AG in November (anyone except Greg Macpherson, that is).

That is why astute candidates organize write-in campaigns to win the other major party's nomination, if that nomination is up for grabs (with no named candidates on the primary ballot).

To answer Pete's other question: If there was no named candidate on the primary ballot for a partisan office, then the nominee is the person getting the most write-in votes, no matter how few. I think a coin-toss is used in case of a tie. If there is at least one named candidate on the ballot for this partisan office, then write-ins are counted but not tallied, unless it is possible for one of the write-in names to be the winner. In other words, the county clerks count up the write-ins but make no note of their names, unless the total number of write-in votes exceeds the number of votes for the named candidate receiving the most votes. Then the clerks go back and take down the names of the write-ins to see if one of them is the winner.

In the case of a nonpartisan office with no named candidates on the primary ballot, the top two write-ins proceed to the general election, I think (not 100% sure about that), with this exception: If, taking into account the number of write-in votes, the named candidate nevertheless won a majority of the votes cast for that office, then the write-ins are not tallied, and the named candidate wins the office.

So, if you wrote in various names for judge, it is almost 100% certain that the county clerks will make no note of those names, because it is very unlikely that all of those write-in votes, taken together, would have denied a majority vote for the named candidate.

Clear enough?

Dan, Great minds think alike.

<h2>M Mouse. only one vote? Cmon GOP voters, where is the love??</h2>