You’re standing in the voting booth. The curtain is closed—or you're leaning over your kitchen table with a black pen and a mail-in envelope. You’ve done your homework on the big stuff. You know who you want for President or Governor. But then you look down. There’s a list of candidates for "Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor" or a complicated bond measure for a library expansion in a town you don't even live in. Your mind goes blank. You start wondering: Can I leave parts of ballot blank? Will the machine spit it back out? Does the whole thing get tossed in the trash?
Honestly, it’s one of the most common anxieties people have on Election Day. Nobody wants to feel like they’re failing a test. But here’s the short answer: Yes. You can absolutely leave parts of your ballot blank.
It’s actually a legal right in the United States. It even has a fancy name in the world of political science: undervoting.
The Myth of the "All or Nothing" Ballot
There’s this weird, persistent rumor that if you don't fill out every single bubble, your entire ballot becomes "spoiled." That’s just flat-out wrong. Election officials and experts like those at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) are very clear on this. Your ballot is not a Scantron test from high school where skipping a question might disqualify the whole page.
Voting is an exercise of your voice. Sometimes, that voice says, "I don't know enough about these judges to make a choice," or "I don't like any of these people running for the school board." Choosing not to choose is a choice.
When you slide your paper into the optical scanner at your local polling place, the machine is programmed to read each race independently. If you voted for a Senator but skipped the race for County Clerk, the machine records the Senate vote and simply notes an "undervote" for the Clerk. It doesn’t care about the blank space. It just keeps moving.
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Think about it this way. If skipping one race invalidated the whole thing, think of the chaos. Election results would be a nightmare to certify. Thousands of people skip the "down-ballot" races every single year. In fact, in some high-profile elections, the number of undervotes can actually tell a story about voter dissatisfaction.
Why People Skip Races
It’s not always laziness. Sometimes it's a strategic move.
- Lack of Information: Most of us focus on the top of the ticket. We know the scandals, the platforms, and the hair colors of the people running for the White House. But do you know the judicial philosophy of a candidate for the 4th Circuit Court? Probably not. Rather than guessing—which can actually be worse than not voting—many people choose to leave it blank.
- Protest: If you’re a lifelong member of a party but you find their nominee for a specific office "distasteful," you might leave that section blank as a way to say, "You haven't earned my vote this time."
- Time Constraints: Let’s be real. Some ballots are long. Like, three-pages-long. If you’re voting on your lunch break and the line was an hour long, you might just hit the big ones and run back to work.
What "Undervoting" Means for the Results
When the media reports election results, they usually talk about the percentage of the total votes cast for that specific race. They aren't looking at the total number of people who walked into the building.
If 1,000 people show up to vote, but only 800 of them cast a vote for "Public Lands Commissioner," the winner is determined by who got the most of those 800 votes. The 200 people who left that part of the ballot blank simply don't factor into the math for that specific seat.
However, there is a nuance here. In some specific local jurisdictions, certain ballot measures (like a tax increase or a constitutional amendment) might require a majority of all voters who participated in the election to pass, not just a majority of those who voted on that specific question. This is rare, but it happens. In those specific cases, leaving the bubble blank is essentially a "no" vote. But for candidates? It's just a skip.
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Common Mistakes That Actually Do Get Your Ballot Tossed
While leaving parts of your ballot blank is perfectly fine, there are things you can do that will cause problems. This is where the real danger lies.
- Overvoting: This is the opposite of undervoting. This is when you're supposed to pick one candidate but you fill in two. The machine won't know what you meant. It will void that specific race because it can't guess your intent. Most modern scanners will beep and tell you if you've done this, giving you a chance to "spoil" that ballot and start over with a fresh one.
- Stray Marks: If you start doodling in the margins or write "This guy sucks" next to a name, you’re playing with fire. If a mark touches a bubble or interferes with the timing tracks (those little black bars on the edge of the paper), the scanner might error out.
- Using the Wrong Pen: Most places want black or blue ink. Use a red pen or a highlighter, and the machine might not see it at all. It’ll think you left the whole ballot blank.
The Strategy of the Blank Space
Some political consultants actually study the "drop-off" rate. That’s the difference between the number of people who voted for the President and the number of people who voted for, say, State Representative.
A high drop-off rate usually means the candidates lower on the ballot failed to reach voters. It's a sign of a weak "ground game."
If you're feeling guilty about leaving it blank, don't. It is better to leave a race blank than to vote for someone whose platform you actually hate just because you felt like you had to fill in every bubble. In states like Nevada, they even have a "None of These Candidates" option for some races. It's the ultimate "leaving it blank" with a bit more attitude.
What to do if you aren't sure
If you're at the polls and you're staring at a blank section, panicking about whether you can leave parts of ballot blank, just remember: you're the boss.
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- Check the instructions: Every ballot has them at the top. They will usually say "Vote for one" or "Vote for no more than three." They never say "You must vote for every office."
- Ask a poll worker: They can't tell you who to vote for, but they are experts on the mechanics. If you ask, "If I skip this race, will my other votes count?" they will tell you exactly what I just told you: Yes.
- Research on the fly: Most states allow you to bring your phone or a "cheat sheet" into the booth. If you see a name you don't recognize, look them up. Sites like Ballotpedia or Vote411 are great for last-minute checks.
Practical Steps for Your Next Election
Next time you’re heading to the polls, try to print out a sample ballot beforehand. Most Secretary of State websites offer these for free based on your address. You can sit on your couch, Google the "Soil and Water Supervisor," and decide if you actually care. If you don't? Mark it as a "skip" on your practice sheet.
When you get to the booth, fill in the races you care about. If you reach a section where you have no opinion or no information, just move on to the next one.
Verify your ballot before you feed it into the machine. Just a quick glance. Make sure you didn't accidentally mark two people for one office. Then, slide it in and listen for that satisfying "whir" as it’s accepted.
The most important part of the process is showing up. Whether you vote for one person or fifty, your participation is what makes the system function. Don't let a few blank bubbles keep you from making your voice heard where it counts the most to you.
Next Steps for Voters:
- Download a Sample Ballot: Visit your local Board of Elections website to see exactly what will be on your screen or paper.
- Locate Your Polling Place: Confirm your location hasn't changed since the last cycle, as redistricting often moves boundaries.
- Check ID Requirements: Ensure you have the specific form of identification required by your state to avoid having to use a provisional ballot.