How to vote

For the action and the case for it, see Write it in →. This page covers the mechanics.

The mechanics

In Pennsylvania, writing in a candidate means marking the "write-in" line on the U.S. House race and writing the name. Every ballot type used in PA (paper, paper-with-scanner, electronic) has a write-in line on federal races.

If you've never written in before:

  1. Vote at your polling place on Election Day, or by mail.
  2. On the ballot, find the U.S. Representative race for Congressional District 3.
  3. Below the listed candidates, there's a write-in line. Mark it.
  4. Write the name. (See options below.)

For polling-place lookup, sample ballots, and mail-in deadlines, check the Pennsylvania Department of State or your county elections office. Those are the sources of truth.

Who to write in

You can write in anyone. That's the most important thing.

Write in someone you actually want to represent you. Anyone, even if they have no chance, even if they're already on the ballot. The act of writing in any name is a signal that you wanted more options than the ones offered. Write-in totals get reported, and they're one of the only public measurements of "voters who weren't satisfied with the field." That signal carries weight regardless of who you write in.

Write in "Paul Plonski" if you want to participate via the Square Party / empower project framework specifically. The campaign infrastructure on this site exists to support that, including a pledge form. But don't write me in unless you've read what that actually means — see the bio for the full picture.

Why it matters even when it doesn't win

A write-in candidate winning a federal House seat is rare. The honest expected outcome of a write-in vote is that it doesn't flip the seat.

It still does work. Write-in totals are public, and officials, journalists, future candidates, and party operators all see them. A district where a chunk of voters write in any name is a district where the existing parties can't pretend everyone was satisfied. That's the signal, and it's worth something.

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