How exactly does the voter mark their presidential ballot?

[Tigers!]

Now that the dust and settled and it is Trump vs. Hilary I want to discuss exactly how the US voter marks their ballot in the privacy and sanctity of the booth.
(Up front I will say that if we in Australia were offered Trump vs. Hilary as our options I would write a pox on all your houses on my ballot and deliberate deface my ballot. But that's a discussion for another thread).
When you make your selection via the seemingly numerous ways of doing so (never understand why you cannot agree on aconcsistent system of marking a ballot) what or how are you voting?
I assume that it is not just be Trump vs. Hilary on the ballot.
Do you choose just the 1 option i.e. Trump or Hilary other? Or rank them accordingly to dislike?
Do you vote for the vice-president separately or is it 2 for 1?
Can you have your ballot unmarked? If unmarked how, or are they counted?
Are the same names on the ballot across all states or can it vary according to location?
How many names can appear on the ballot? Is there a max. limit?
If a minor(?) candidate were to receive a small number of electoral college votes but nowhere near enough to be meaningful what happens to them and those who voted for them? Are they considered in the final tallies?

I will be glad once it is all other as I am sick of hearing about it in Oz. You lot will be rapt after 20th Nov. I daresay.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Each state is different. Down here in Houston, Texas, we have electronic voting machines. No paper ballot. Being over 65 years of age, I can elect to vote by mail, so I can have a paper ballot, and vote by mail.

 

[jonatha]

It varies by state, and perhaps by county or even precinct.

Around here, we use these (known to be hackable).

A more detailed report on the Hart Intercivic eSlate's vulnerabilities.

 

[Terrell]

President & Vice President is 2 for 1 unless the election is decided in the House & Senate.

If a 3rd party gets votes in the Electoral College it doesn't really matter unless he either gets to 270 or no one gets to 270. If any candidate gets to 270 Electoral Votes they win, the remaining candidates get nothing. If no candidate gets to 270 then the President is decided by the House of Representatives where each state gets 1 vote. The House can choose between the top 3. The Vice President would be determined by the Senate, they choose among the top 2.

The states do not necessarily have the same names on the ballot for President. Each state has requirements to get on the ballot, and a deadline to do so. This is not uniform and the states are not required to agree on said requirements. The Democrats & Republicans will be on the ballot in all 50 states, other parties may not.

It's pick one candidate for each office, as far as I know none of the states have ranked voting.

 

[Nice Squirrel]

We connect arrows with a Sharpie on a paper ballot here:
- -> Killary
----> TRUMP

That would be a vote for trump.

These are run through scanners which count them

If we make a mistake we ask for a new ballot.
Unmarked votes are not counted.

 

[fast]

When you make your selection via the seemingly numerous ways of doing so (never understand why you cannot agree on aconcsistent system of marking a ballot) what or how are you voting?

I'll walk into a building and stand in a short line. Eventually, I'll make my way to a table where I'll show my ID. I no longer have to show my voters registration card. A poll manager will locate my name on the laptop to see that I am in fact at the correct voting location. I'll sign in on a sheet of paper showing all that has already voted. I will be given a little chip, stand in another line for the voting booth, and present the chip to another poll manager manning the voting booths. She will give a brief tutorial consisting of saying "press this button to cast your vote."

I assume that it is not just be Trump vs. Hilary on the ballot.

Correct. All qualified presidential candidates will be listed. Maybe I should say authorized, lol.

Do you choose just the 1 option i.e. Trump or Hilary other? Or rank them accordingly to dislike?

From the list of candidates, I will select who I want to be our next president. There is no option for ranking.

Do you vote for the vice-president separately or is it 2 for 1?

2 for 1

Can you have your ballot unmarked? If unmarked how, or are they counted?

Not on the computer. You can do a paper ballot on an absentee ballot, but if you do not mark a choice, then it will not add to the candidates vote count. If they are counted, they'll be counted as being among the number of incomplete ballots.

Are the same names on the ballot across all states or can it vary according to location?

If a candidate is permitted to be listed in a state, then that candidate will be listed in every voting location in that state. I think it's technically possible to not be listed in every state, but that would be very (very) rare.

How many names can appear on the ballot? Is there a max. limit?

There is no predetermined maximum number of candidates, but only those that have went through the process will be reflected as permissible choices; however, there is a write-in option.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Each candidate has their own symbol. For instance, Trump is an X, said if you want to vote for Trump, you put son X beside his name. Clinton is an empty space, so if you want to vote for Clinton, you leave an empty space beside her name.

 

[fast]

Each candidate has their own symbol. For instance, Trump is an X, said if you want to vote for Trump, you put son X beside his name. Clinton is an empty space, so if you want to vote for Clinton, you leave an empty space beside her name.

It's my job to drink. Get your own damn job!

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Down here in Hosuton, we use electronic voting machines. I can, if I wish, leave an office unvoted for if I don't like the candidates listed. I usually do this if the Republican is running unopposed.

 

[Toni]

I'll go into my polling place, which happens to be an elementary school.

I may wait in a short line if there is one or may proceed directly to the table divided by voters' last names, alphabetically. I will identify myself, although I almost always know the poll worker who will look up my name on the list of registered voters in that precinct, and sign. I don't recall needing to show ID but maybe I have and just don't remember. It's a small city and voting day is sort of a small reunion, seeing people I may not see often. I will wait my turn to be handed a ballot, and to go to a small voting booth, which is actually fairly open but people are polite and do not attempt to see what anyone is doing. Brief instructions to mark one and only one oval or circle (forget which) for each office will be given. I will blacken the circle or oval for whichever candidates I choose for whichever offices I choose to vote for. I can leave entire offices blank, vote for only one or for as many candidates as I choose. After, I will deposit my ballot in a box which will electronically count my ballot. At the close of polling, any mis-marked ballots: multiple candidates for an office marked, or stray marks, for example, will be rejected and will be manually examined to see if it is possible to determine voter intent. There are election judges (community volunteers) who will determine if they can agree about intent, in which case, the ballot is counted. If not, it is rejected for any unclear candidate choices. Example: If I clearly write: Mickey Mouse as a write in candidate for President, but go on to select actual choices for candidates for other races, then the other choices will be counted. Mickey Mouse will be counted as a write in, which is allowed in my state. So far, Mickey has never won office for anything. Maybe this will be his year.

After I turn in my voter, I will be given a sticker which says: I voted. I will proudly wear that sticker all day or until it falls off which ever comes first.

 

[Bronzeage]

In my state, we use electronic voting machines. The voter touches a box on a touch screen. There is no provision for write in vote. If a particular race is left unmarked, nothing happens.

 

[fast]

After I turn in my voter, I will be given a sticker which says: I voted. I will proudly wear that sticker all day or until it falls off which ever comes first.

Dang, I was remembering to mention the sticker while I was creating my post earlier but forgot by the time I came to the end. I think I was distracted at the end. I wear mine too ... until I get to the house. I stick it to a wall next to my other ones.

 

[Deepak]

President & Vice President is 2 for 1 unless the election is decided in the House & Senate.

If a 3rd party gets votes in the Electoral College it doesn't really matter unless he either gets to 270 or no one gets to 270. If any candidate gets to 270 Electoral Votes they win, the remaining candidates get nothing. If no candidate gets to 270 then the President is decided by the House of Representatives where each state gets 1 vote. The House can choose between the top 3. The Vice President would be determined by the Senate, they choose among the top 2.

The states do not necessarily have the same names on the ballot for President. Each state has requirements to get on the ballot, and a deadline to do so. This is not uniform and the states are not required to agree on said requirements. The Democrats & Republicans will be on the ballot in all 50 states, other parties may not.

It's pick one candidate for each office, as far as I know none of the states have ranked voting.

This covers it pretty well. One thing I'd add is that many states also have ballot measures (such as initiatives & referenda)

 

[bleubird]

For as long as I can remember,we blacken in an oval next to the name we think we know with a #2 pencil(i think it is a law that a # 2 pencil be used) Than put it to a scanner and get a I VOTED sticker.

 

[Tigers!]

. If not, it is rejected for any unclear candidate choices. Example: If I clearly write: Mickey Mouse as a write in candidate for President, but go on to select actual choices for candidates for other races, then the other choices will be counted. Mickey Mouse will be counted as a write in, which is allowed in my state. So far, Mickey has never won office for anything. Maybe this will be his year.

In Australia some people will write another candidate's name on their polling paper. The Queen (Queen Elizabeth II) usually gets quite a few votes.

In the Commonwealth election in 2010 I remember that Obama got 2 votes in the division I was counting.

.
After I turn in my voter, I will be given a sticker which says: I voted. I will proudly wear that sticker all day or until it falls off which ever comes first.

We don't get stickers in Australia. Just look for the faces of relief upon those whom you pass. Since voting is compulsory stickers are redundant.

- - - Updated - - -

Each candidate has their own symbol. For instance, Trump is an X, said if you want to vote for Trump, you put son X beside his name. Clinton is an empty space, so if you want to vote for Clinton, you leave an empty space beside her name.

I'd like to do that in Oz (the empty space) but that runs the risk of having your vote declared informal (leaving a candidate's name unmarked)

 

[KeepTalking]

The polling place for my district is at a church, it used to be a Catholic church, but in the last presidential election it moved to a Baptist church which is a bit farther away from my home, but probably easier to find for new voters. There are actually two districts that vote at the same location, so you go in, find the table for your district, line up and tell them your name when you get to the table. The line is usually either short or non-existent when I go in to vote (early morning). They look you up on the rolls, mark your name off, and hand you a little receipt. Once, a few years ago, they asked me for ID, but that has not happened on any other occasion. That year was also interesting because they had a number of new poll workers who my daughter knew from High School (she had just graduated that year, and it was her first year eligible to vote). I think they just had some over zealous poll workers.

After getting the receipt you queue up in another line, but once again it is usually not that long, only one or two people waiting. The person taking your receipt asks if you want to vote electronically, or on the paper ballot. Usually they try to steer you to the electronic machines, with "No waiting over there." For a number of reasons, I prefer the paper ballot, so I wait if needed. They then hand you a ballot, and a sheet to cover it with, and send you to an empty stand up desk with shoulder high dividers that make it inconvenient for you to be nosy about how your neighbors are voting. The paper ballot is a scan-tron type of ballot, but it uses magic markers instead of #2 pencils, and the ovals you fill in are rather large.

You simply mark which candidates you want to vote for, no straight ticket voting, and if you don't vote for a particular race, your vote is not counted. There are often judges and one or two other state or local offices with candidates running unopposed, and in those cases I usually do not vote for the candidate. In Illinois you are also allowed to write in a vote, but this is only counted if the person you are voting for declares themselves as a write in candidate (I'm not sure how that process works). I had a co-worker who ran for Governor as a libertarian write in candidate once, but he was an idiot, and there was no way I was voting for him, so I didn't ask anything about it.

After filling out the ballot, you place the cover sheet over it so no one can see how you voted, and hand it to the person at the ballot scanner. They feed the ballot into the machine, wait for the machine to either spit it back out, or show that the ballot was counted, pick up an "I voted" sticker, and you are done. Once my ballot had to be fed through a second time before it registered, but I have had no other problems with the paper ballots. All told, I am usually in and out in about 10 minutes, my civic duty completed for another 2 years.