A bill quietly making its way through the Legislature would eliminate write-in space for some state and federal offices. It’s tucked down near the end of a bill that is supposed to clean up some language in the elections code. You have to scroll through a lot of dense stuff, but check out sections 49 and 54.
I don’t see any need for getting rid of write-in space. I mean, it doesn’t do any harm — and in some cases, write-in campaigns have been a huge deal. Witness Tom Ammiano’s 1999 campaign against Willie Brown — a miraculous, landmark effort that existed only as a write-in. I realize this bill wouldn’t affect local races, but the principle is the same. Why take away the rights of voters to choose a candidate who didn’t get a party nomination?