write-in candidate

1. A candidate for public office whose name does not appear on the ballot (usually because he or she has not secured the nomination of a political party) but whose name must be written on the ballot by voters.

Example Sentences

Mike Fleck ran unopposed three times, but appears to have been beaten by a write-in candidate after coming out in 2012.

From The Daily Beast

But then Murkowski decided to run as a write-in candidate in the general election and pulled off an improbable victory.

From The Daily Beast

Perhaps the most famous ballot was one that was marked twice, once for Franken and once for a write-in candidate, “Lizard People.”

From The Daily Beast

Now supported by the A3P, he ran as a write-in candidate for governor, he says, to learn the ropes for 2012.

From The Daily Beast

Do they even matter, given her huge disadvantage as a write-in candidate?

From The Daily Beast