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April 21, 2011 08:58 PM UTC

What's In a Name?

  • 57 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

Former Denver City Council member Carla Madison was running unopposed for re-election when she died on April 5 after a two-year battle with cancer. Because ballots for the May 3 Municipal Election had already been printed, any candidate wishing to run for City Council in District 8 could only do so as a write-in candidate.

The deadline to declare yourself as a write-in candidate passed on April 18, and there are 38 candidates who could be elected to the city council as a write-in choice.

As we’ve written before, winning a write-in campaign against someone whose name appears on the ballot is virtually impossible to do on a local level because voters need to be able to do more than just recognize your name — they have to remember it enough to write it down. In a Denver Municipal election where most voters don’t even know who’s running for Mayor, we’re fascinated to see how this will turn out. Candidates have very little time to campaign and get their name out, and while we’ve gotten various press releases touting endorsements, none of that matters unless voters remember how to spell your name. As the Denver Elections Division explains:

Write-in candidates do not appear on the ballot. A write-in candidate’s name must be physically written in (no stamps or stickers) on the “write-in” line for that race on the ballot. Voters must also connect the arrow on the write-in line for the vote to be counted.

We don’t know enough about what other options Denver had for filling the seat in District 8 other than to force a massive write-in election, but obviously this isn’t a great way to choose an elected official. With ballots already in the mail, the eventual winner in District 8 may just be the person who has the most memorable name…period. Just for a moment, ignore any qualifications or endorsements and just look at the list of names below — which “name” do you think voters would be most likely to remember to write down on a ballot?

Our best guess is that Britt Gallagher, whoever that is, has a distinct advantage because he (or she?) has the same last name as long-time Denver politician Dennis Gallagher, whose name will appear on the ballot for re-election as Denver Auditor (was there no-one named Ed Hickenlooper in District 8?) But what say you, Polsters?

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57 thoughts on “What’s In a Name?”

    3. Agreed, Albus Brooks is a known name and a good guy. But there are two people here who are truly head and shoulders above the rest, in my opinion as a grass roots organizer. JULIE FARRAR AND TOM RUTHERFORD (Write-in) are two of the people I respect and admire most in this town. Both Julie and Tom have worked for unions. They both worked their asses off to get Barack Obama elected as President, and for every relevant ballot initiative, progressive issue, and worker’s right out there. Both are always seen at every rally, every controversial towne hall, and every important gathering I’ve been to. If it weren’t for the organizing efforts of both of these candidates, I am convinced we would not have built a number of movements here in Colorado over the years.

      If you want someone who will stand up for workers EVERY SINGLE TIME and never turn their backs on regular Coloradans, vote for either Julie Farrar or Tom Rutherford (write-in). I am actually glad I do not live in District 8 — I couldn’t choose between these two truly inspiring Coloradans.

      Side note — Julie Farrar is also in a wheelchair. I have never heard her complain or mention her disability — she does everything an able bodied person can do, and then some. Her candidacy is a plus for the differently-abled community, as well as for all of us who should be more congnizant of their concerns.  

  2. It’s short and easy enough to spell.

    Do misspellings count or get dq’d?

    Eg: Paul Wiess?  Warren Edison?

    Is there a run off if the write in gets ;ess than 50%+1?

    Won’t Carol Madison’s name still be on the ballot? If yes, when she wins – is it a vacancy committee or a special election?

    Can’t help but believe that a simple name change would have locked this up for someone who could have gotten on the ballot.

    Hilary Clinton.

    Andrew Romanov

    Joe Sackic

    Gary Heart

    1. That is the ruling from the Court from back in the day when Peggy Lamm ran for teh legislature as a write-in. Peggy Lamb would count, Patty Labelle, no.

      Teams of 2 people look at these ballots together to determine who the vote is for. The two poeple must be from different political affiliations. If they agree that, that is who gets the vote. If they disagree, it does to a resolution board made up of more experienced election personnel/judges. Then they can kick it to the County Clerk if cannot agree as well.

    2. there will be a run off between the top two, unless someone pulls off a miracle and gets a majority.

      Carol Madison’s name will not be on the ballot, but Carla madison’s will. Any votes cast for her will not be counted though. (personally I think they should still count her votes and declare a vacancy when she wins, but that is just me).

      And, name changes do not happen over night. When a person legally changes their name, they have to go to court (a bit a backlog there usually) and then publish the news of the name change before it is legal to use that name. I went thru this process in 1996 when I dumped my adopted family name in favor of my father’s family name.

          1. There will be nothing on the ballot or with the ballot telling them they have to write something in. So if did not get something froma candidate or two (or 38) explaining this, they will likely vote for Carla and assume a vacancy will come later.

    3. could commit to memory and spell properly. Fortunately for the people of the district who pay close attention to their choices and are willing to do a little research, I don’t even live in Denver.  Looks like they will have an advantage as those who don’t pay attention to anything other than Mayor will either leave it blank or write in things like Donald Duck or themselves or a friend, splitting their votes a zillion different dead end ways.  

  3. Why would someone being named Gallagher have any effect whatsoever? Now, Britt is actually a contender for this race because of her connections to unions, and because she will most likely run a good campaign. But it’s not because she shares the name with a down-ticket person.

    The only time that kind of thing works is when it’s printed on the ballot. Otherwise, it’s about who people are going to remember, and how well they run their grassroots operation.

    1. And seeing Dennis Gallagher’s name might remind them that there is another ‘Gallagher’ running as a write-in.

      Look, no need for the angry missives here. We’re in relatively uncharted territory with an all write-in ballot, which is why we thought the “what’s the best NAME” question was interesting. As we wrote in the post:

      Just for a moment, ignore any qualifications or endorsements and just look at the list of names below — which “name” do you think voters would be most likely to remember to write down on a ballot?

      1. You’re looking at a campaign where there will most likely be only around 7,000-8,000 votes cast. With 30+ candidates, someone could easily make the run-off with 500 or so votes. Take into account undervotes, or people who vote for Carla Madison, and it starts getting really dicey.

        It’s all about how hard a candidate is willing to work. Your reasoning on this one is flawed because people don’t vote for a Gallagher because they’re a Gallagher (or a Kennedy because they’re a Kennedy) unless they see that name on the ballot. The people who are going to win are the ones who run a smart enough campaign, and do their GOTV really well. Name rec based on a recognizeable name is a minor consideration. it’s about increasing your name rec regardless of having a familiar name. If you can afford a mailer or two, you’ll probably be in the top 5.

                1. No, I’m not up in arms. I just don’t think it’s that hard to write some decent analysis of what should be one of the most interesting races in the Denver muni.

                  For instance, Albus Brooks should have a good amount of support despite the fact that he doesn’t have a very easy-to-remember name. He has a lot of institutional support, and he’s working hard. Paul Weiss has a gigantic “write-in Weiss” sign on Speer, which will probably do more than being named Gallagher ever could. It’s really not that hard.

                  Cheers!

                  1. Any idea why none of your comments show up on your profile page?  (Your diaries show up, but none of your comments on the “comments” tab.)

      1. with 38 caniddates, one would assume a lot. Especially since the only way voters would even know to vote for you in a write-in race is if you tell them.

        1. They have no expenses. They share a hat when it’s cold, talk about a pizza they pitched in for once when they’re hungry.  

          C’mon…it’s not that hard to campaign.  Right?

          1. the hat comes in handier to shield the eyes from the sun. There’s probably some leftover pizza in the fridge, too.

            Mail is expensive and not that efficient if you’re just making a single impression for people who are mostly unknown. It’ll be interesting to see if whoever does send a piece gets a high number of write-ins, but I’d bet the candidates who make the runoff use other methods to reach their voters.

                1. Multiple candidates will do thousands of knocks, some personally, others with paid staff or volunteers. Some will do a good job of calling ahead and removing already-voteds and supporters of other candidates, and others will let their knocks fall more evenly on registered voters.

                  Some of them have stories that are only compelling to certain voters (Dan Stafford can persuade a move-on voter, but not a long-time resident) so a targeted list is pretty essential. Others have endorsements (former Mayors, current first ladies) that make them more likely to pick up generic must-write-in-somebody votes… Who has the book rights?

    2. As a 10 year resident of the San Rafael neighborhood, I’ve come to respect Darrell Watson. Yesterday when I checked my mail I saw something from him but I had no idea there were so many candidates in the race. I’m sure there are several who are quality people but I feel very fortunate to already have a relationship with Watson. I know he will represent the entire district with integrity.  

  8. Isn’t it an all mail election? Anyone who cares to notice enough that Carla can’t really win (RIP – She was great and fought hard) would only have to hit the reliable internets, figure out who they like, and write it straight off the screen.

    The only real problem I see is quantity of candidates. Hopefully one of the top two (I predict no more than 10% for any eligible candidate) doesn’t suck and we have something other than guess work ultimately deciding with the runoff. I have some faith in that for the reasons in my first paragraph.

    1. but your version of how anyone is going to vote is a pipe dream. You really think the average voter is going to hit the “reliable internets” and look up 38 candidates to figure out who they like and then vote? No way.

      Of course your second paragraph pretty much says the same thing I just did…

          1. She’s so fluffy and honest looking.

            FWIW, the only three names that show on my first page of a Google search are: Farkass, Watson, and Stafford. None on the second. For me.

            Farkass is only a Facebook page. So I half ass pick Watson and Stafford to be the top two. Who goes to the third Google page? ???

  11. And I couldn’t place why until I googled it and found out he was Madison’s husband.

    Darrell Watson also rung a bell and then I realized he was one of the “leading” candidates in 2007 that was beat out of the runoff by about 73 votes by Carla Madison. A news report came out about him “spanking” the child of a friend and receiving a judicial slap on the wrist.

    (Before anybody gets mad at me, I’m just reiterating what the news reports said.)

    So now that I remember him I and he was so close to the runoff, I am curious how many people will remember him and write his name down.  

  12. Unfortunately for Doug, there is not enough to win the Mayoral race, but in a 38 person council race, Warren Edson has an advatage.

    He has also lived in the district since he was at DU law School (1994) and represents most of the bars and restuarants in the district and more than a few of the people that have been brought up on marijuana charges. He knows the community because of his civil rights work. He has helped families through difficult periods with drug and alcohol issues.

    He has raised a good chunk of cash and he has press behind him.  The Westword seems to love him.

    OK, another shamless plug….

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