Sore losers should be able to run for office too

This seems a solution in search of a problem. Some lawmakers in Madison want to change the rules regarding our elections. A handful of representatives want to bar any candidate who loses in a partisan primary election from then running a write-in campaign. It is called a “sore-loser” law. Under current law, a candidate, even one who fails to advance in the primary can choose to run a campaign as a write-in candidate. They must register as a write-in, and any votes they receive would then be counted. It isn’t clear why some think this change is needed. Elections featuring write-in candidates aren’t any more difficult or expensive to administer. Very few races feature write-in candidates, and a very, very small group of write-in candidates ever actually win their election. Why bar candidates who have met every requirement of running for private office? They have already gathered the required number of signatures and they have been validated by a clerk. If they can convince enough people to vote for them, then they should be elected just like anyone else. Get the votes, get the job. That is how our elections work. Regardless of how they chose to run their campaign.