Under New York election law, voters can gather petition signatures to place on the ballot an option of Write In — so that each voter can write in a candidate’s name. The move is called an “opportunity to ballot.” It creates competition for a party’s designated candidate by giving voters a choice to write in someone else’s name. If the “opportunity to ballot” is used in the primary season, it forces a primary election in which a party’s voters can reject the party’s choice of nominee. For the 2013 election for Common Councilor-at-Large, the Conservative Party candidate, Randy Potter, faces a primary on Sept. 10 against a write-in candidate.
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