Biden write-in leaders offer specifics for voters

Members of the state legislature representing the Write-In Campaign for Joe Biden in New Hampshire hosted a press conference Thursday to raise awareness that absentee ballots are now available, and offer specific and clear instructions on how the write in effort should proceed at the ballot box.

State Representative Angela Brennan (D-Bow), a member of the Election Law Committee, emphasized the simplicity of the write-in process. During a demonstration using a jumbo-sized sample ballot, she went through the entire process by hand. 

State Rep Angela Brennan demonstrates how to write in Joe Biden’s name on a sample ballot. (Granite Post/Colin Booth)

“All you have to do is fill in the bubble at the bottom of the list of candidates, and then write ‘Joe Biden,'” she said.

President Biden will not appear on the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary ballot as the  DNC decided to restructure the early state lineup for the 2024 presidential nominating calendar, opting for South Carolina to hold the first primary contest instead of the traditional early states, Iowa and New Hampshire. However, New Hampshire has a state law requiring it to hold its primary at least seven days before any other primary contest.

Any voter who will be absent from their town or unable to vote on election day for reasons such as work travel, caregiving, illness, or religious observation can request an absentee ballot from their town or city clerk, following instructions here. Voters can write in a candidate on the absentee ballot just like the regular ballot.

Rep. Brennan emphasized that while there will be 21 names on the Democratic ballot and the order of those candidates’ names will vary, the write-in line will always appear at the bottom of the ballot.

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Voters can also view the sample ballot here. In order to write in a candidate who is not on the ballot (i.e. Joe Biden), voters simply fill in the small oval next to the words “write-in” at the bottom of the list of candidates, write the candidate’s name next to the printed words “write-in” and return their ballot.

State Senator David Watters (D-Dover) expressed his enthusiasm for the campaign, emphasizing its grassroots nature and the overwhelming support for Biden among New Hampshire Democrats and independent-leaning voters. He also offered details about how voters should request an absentee ballot if needed.

“We’re here today specifically because the Secretary of State just announced that absentee ballots are now available. Any voter who will be absent from their town or unable to vote on election day for reasons such as work travel, caregiving, illness, or religious observance should know that they can request an absentee ballot from their town or city clerk,” Watters said.

He also offered assurances that overseas military personnel can participate in the write-in effort by requesting a ballot from the Secretary of State.

“We want to make sure that those who are serving our country abroad know that they can write in their Commander-in-Chief, Joe Biden, on their ballots, because we all know how much the President has done to support our military personnel.”