Paper ballot
In person, marking by hand
Write Cody Rose on the blank write-in line under Sheriff, then fill in the oval beside that line completely with the pen provided. Do not circle the oval. Fill it.
Your ballot
Write the name.
Fill in the oval.
My name will not be printed on the ballot. That is what a write-in candidacy means. Your vote still counts exactly the same, but only if you do both steps. This page takes ninety seconds to read and it is the most useful thing on this website.
The two steps
Step one is obvious. Step two is the one people miss.
Find the write-in line under Sheriff
Look for the contest headed Sheriff. There is one name printed there. Below it is a blank line for write-in votes. Print CODY ROSE on that line. Print it plainly. Clear handwriting matters more than perfect spelling, and do not add titles, nicknames, or a party name. No party word goes on that line. Write the name and nothing else.
Fill in the oval next to that line
Darken the oval, box, or arrow beside the write-in line, the same way you would for any printed candidate. A written name with an empty oval is not counted. This single step is where most write-in votes are lost.
Do not vote for anyone else in that contest
Sheriff is a vote-for-one office. If you mark the printed candidate and write a name in, the contest is overvoted and neither vote counts. One choice only.
If you tell three neighbors both steps, you have done more for this campaign than any mailer I could send.
Cody RoseWhat it looks like · Sample
Sheriff of Marion County Vote for one
The one printed candidateleave this oval blank
Cody Rose
Both marks are required. The filled oval tells the machine to read the line. The written name tells it who you meant. One without the other is a blank vote.
By how you vote
The two steps look slightly different depending on how you cast your ballot.
Touchscreen
Using a ballot-marking device
In the Sheriff contest, select the option labeled write-in. An on-screen keyboard appears. Type Cody Rose and confirm your entry. Then check the printed record the machine produces before you cast it. Make sure the name reads correctly.
Vote by mail
On a mail-in ballot
Same two steps: write the name on the write-in line and fill in the oval. Then sign the return envelope where indicated. An unsigned envelope invalidates the whole ballot, write-in or not. Mail it early.
Early voting and grace-period voting
The two steps do not change. If you vote early, you are marking the same ballot at a different time. If you register during the grace period, you generally vote at the same time you register. Marion County early voting locations and hours are published by the County Clerk. See the contact information below.
What invalidates a write-in vote
Five ways a vote for me gets thrown out.
None of these are tricks. They are ordinary mistakes, and every one of them is avoidable if you know about it before you are standing in the booth.
Most common
The oval was left empty
The name is written perfectly and the vote still does not count, because the tabulator never reads the line. Fill the oval.
Overvote
The printed candidate was also marked
Two marks in a vote-for-one contest voids the contest. If you marked the wrong one, ask an election judge for a fresh ballot. You are entitled to one.
Wrong contest
The name was written on a different office's line
Ballots have several write-in lines. Confirm the heading above the line says Sheriff.
Illegible
The name cannot be read
Write-in votes are reviewed by people. Print in block letters. You do not need a middle initial and you do not need to write "for Sheriff".
Mail ballots
The return envelope was not signed
An unsigned certification voids the entire ballot, every contest on it. Sign it, and mail it with time to spare.
Before you can write anyone in
You have to be registered, and at your current address.
A write-in only counts if you are registered to vote in Marion County. If you have moved since you last voted, even across town, your registration has to follow you. This takes a couple of minutes and it is the same process no matter who you are voting for.
01
Check your registration
Confirm you are registered and that the address on file is where you live now. Do this first: most problems people hit on election day started here.
02
Register or update your address
Register online through the Illinois State Board of Elections, by mail, or in person at the Marion County Clerk's office. Same form to move your registration to a new address.
03
Find where you vote
The County Clerk can tell you your precinct and polling place, and the deadlines for early voting and vote by mail. Grace period registration is available through election day.
Registering is not a vote for me. It is what makes any vote you cast count, including a vote against me. Send this to the people you know who have moved recently.
Official information
Check it against the county, not against me.
I would rather you confirm every one of these instructions with the election authority than take a candidate's word for how to vote. The Marion County Clerk's office administers elections in this county and can tell you your precinct, your polling place, your early voting options, and how write-in votes are handled here.
Marion County Clerk and Recorder
Steve Fox, County Clerk and Recorder
101 E. Main Street, Salem, Illinois 62881
countyclerk@marionco.illinois.gov
Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Statewide voter registration lookup is published by the Illinois State Board of Elections at ova.elections.il.gov.