You’re standing in the voting booth. The curtain is closed—or you’re at your kitchen table with a coffee—and you realize you have absolutely no idea who the candidates for "Water Conservation District Sub-Zone 4" are. You’ve heard of the President. You know the Senator. But the rest? It’s a total mystery. You wonder, can I leave parts of my ballot blank without the whole thing getting tossed in the trash?
Short answer: Yes. You definitely can.
It’s called "undervoting." It happens way more often than you’d think. In fact, thousands of people do it in every single election cycle. Some do it because they aren't informed. Others do it as a targeted protest. Regardless of the "why," the "how" is simple: you just don't mark that section. Your vote for the races you did fill out still counts exactly the same.
The Myth of the "Spoiled" Ballot
There’s this weird, persistent myth that a ballot has to be "all or nothing." People worry that if they skip the local judge or the school board seat, the optical scanner will beep aggressively and reject the entire paper. That’s just not how American voting systems work.
Whether you are using a hand-marked paper ballot or a touchscreen DRE (Direct-Recording Electronic) machine, the system is designed to tally each race independently. Think of your ballot like a grocery list. If you forget to pick up the milk, the cashier doesn't take away your eggs and bread. They just ring up what you have.
According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), election technology is specifically programmed to handle undervotes. If you leave a race blank, the machine simply records "no selection" for that specific contest and moves on to the next one. It’s a standard part of the canvassing process.
Why People Choose to Undervote
Sometimes, it’s just about being honest with yourself. If you haven't researched the candidates for a technical position like a County Auditor, you might feel like guessing is actually worse than not voting at all. It’s a valid perspective. You’re letting the people who did do the homework make the call.
🔗 Read more: Recent Obituaries in Charlottesville VA: What Most People Get Wrong
Then there is the "protest" undervote. This is a huge deal in high-profile races. Sometimes a voter likes their local representative but can’t stand any of the options for President. By leaving the top of the ticket blank, they are sending a statistical signal. Data analysts and political scientists like those at the Pew Research Center look at these gaps. If 50,000 people in a state voted for a Senator but skipped the Presidential line, that tells a massive story about candidate unpopularity.
It’s a silent message. It says, "I showed up, but you didn't earn my vote."
What Happens Inside the Tabulator?
When you feed that sheet of paper into the scanner at your polling place, the machine "reads" the marks you made. If it detects an overvote—which is when you pick two people for a race that only allows one—the machine will usually spit it back out and give you a warning. It does this because an overvote makes that specific race unreadable. You have to "spoil" that ballot and start over to make your voice heard.
But for an undervote? The machine stays quiet. It knows you skipped it. It accepts the ballot.
In some jurisdictions, if you are using a digital interface, the machine might pop up a screen saying, "You missed a contest. Do you want to go back?" This isn't a reprimand. It’s a courtesy. It’s there to make sure you didn't accidentally flip two pages at once or lose your place. You can just click "Next" or "Cast Ballot," and you're good to go.
Real-World Examples of the Blank Space
Look at the 2016 or 2020 elections. In various swing states, the number of blank lines in the Presidential race was higher than the margin of victory in some counties. In Michigan, for instance, journalists noted thousands of "exhausted" ballots where voters handled the down-ballot local issues but ignored the big-ticket names.
💡 You might also like: Trump New Gun Laws: What Most People Get Wrong
This also happens frequently with non-partisan races. In many states, judges run unopposed. If you don't know the judge’s record, you might feel weird checking their name just because it's the only one there. So, you skip it. The judge still wins (obviously), but your lack of a vote is simply recorded as an undervote in the final certified results.
Is There Any Downside?
The only real "downside" is that you are giving up your influence over that specific office. Local offices—like the ones people skip most often—usually have a much more direct impact on your daily life than the folks in D.C.
Your local sheriff, your city council, and your school board members decide your property taxes, your police oversight, and what your kids learn in class. If you leave those blank, you're letting your neighbors decide those things for you. But legally? No downside. No jail time. No invalidated ballot.
Writing in a Name vs. Leaving it Blank
Some people think they have to put something, so they write in "Mickey Mouse" or their own name. While this is technically allowed in many states, it actually creates more work for election officials.
In many counties, any ballot with a "write-in" has to be pulled for manual review by a human being. If you write in a joke name, you’re just making a poll worker stay later at night to look at a joke that isn't particularly funny to them after a 15-hour shift. If you don't like the candidates, leaving parts of your ballot blank is much cleaner and more efficient than writing in a fictional character.
State-Specific Nuances
While the general rule is "blank is fine," a few states have unique quirks regarding how they report these things. In California or Washington, where they use top-two primaries and mail-in ballots are the norm, the instructions clearly state that your ballot will be counted regardless of how many races you skip.
📖 Related: Why Every Tornado Warning MN Now Live Alert Demands Your Immediate Attention
In "Ranked Choice Voting" (RCV) states like Maine or Alaska, the rules are slightly more complex but still favor the voter. If you only rank your #1 choice and leave #2, #3, and #4 blank, your vote still counts for your #1. If they get eliminated, your "ballot is exhausted," meaning it doesn't move to a second choice because you didn't provide one. Again—it doesn't void your first vote.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Election
If you’re worried about being unprepared, there are ways to fix that before you get to the booth so you don't have to leave things blank.
- Request a Sample Ballot: Most Secretary of State websites allow you to download a sample ballot weeks before the election. Print it out.
- Use Non-Partisan Guides: Sites like Ballotpedia or Vote411 let you see exactly who is running and what they stand for. You can take your notes into the booth with you in most states.
- Decide Your Strategy: If you want to protest a candidate by leaving a line blank, do it with confidence. It is a recognized form of political expression.
- Check the Back: A common mistake isn't leaving things blank on purpose—it’s forgetting to flip the paper over. Many ballots have referendums and constitutional amendments on the back side.
The bottom line is that the ballot belongs to you. You are the boss. If you only want to hire one person for one job and leave the rest of the positions vacant, that is your right as a citizen. Don't let the fear of a "blank space" keep you from the polls. Fill out what you know, skip what you don't, and hit that "submit" button.
Next Steps for Informed Voting
To ensure your ballot is processed correctly when skipping races, always use the specific marking device provided by the polling place (usually a black or blue felt-tip pen). Avoid using red ink or pencils unless explicitly instructed, as these can sometimes be invisible to older optical scanners. If you are voting by mail and decide to leave sections blank, you do not need to provide any explanatory note; just fold the ballot, place it in the secrecy sleeve, and sign the outer envelope as required. Checking your registration status at Vote.gov at least 30 days before an election is the best way to ensure your voice—including your intentional silences—is heard.