See the list of write-in candidates selected by Bergen voters

In every election, eligible residents are urged to vote and have a say in the process of democracy. For this year’s presidential race, a select group of New Jerseyans used the write-in option to ensure their voices were heard, no matter how improbable their preferred candidate’s choice of winning might be.
More than 4 million Garden State residents cast their votes in 2024, according to results calculated by NorthJersey.com as of Thursday morning. About 98% selected one of the two major party candidates: Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, and Republican former President Donald Trump, who won the election and will be inaugurated for his second term Jan. 20.
Most of the remaining 2% of votes went to one of the seven other candidates listed on the 2024 ballot. These names included Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent who dropped out of the race in August and endorsed Trump, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who also ran for president in 2012 and 2016.
The rest of the votes were write-ins, an opportunity for voters to choose any name they want. The selections may not be eligible to become president — in fact, they might not even be real people — but voters can write them down all the same.
In Bergen County, more than 1,000 people cast write-in votes this year, according to the county clerk’s website. Here is a look at some of the notable selections, ranging from politicians and celebrities to fictional characters.
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The most popular write-in choice among Bergen voters was Nikki Haley, the last Republican candidate to drop out of the presidential race before Trump became the party’s nominee. The former South Carolina governor received more than 200 votes in the county, including about 30 that misspelled her name in a variety of ways.
Other political veterans to get write-in support in Bergen were 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (33 votes), Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (18), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (12) and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (11). President Joe Biden, who withdrew from the presidential race in favor of Harris in July, garnered seven write-in votes.
From there, most of the choices got downright silly. In addition to Biden and Trump, five other former presidents were represented on the write-in list: George Washington and Jimmy Carter each got two votes, while Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan and George Bush got one apiece.
Music icons Kanye West (four votes), Taylor Swift (two) and Snoop Dogg (one) were all on the list as well. In the sports world, two votes went to former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, while Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts each received a vote.
If those selections seem strange, consider that Mickey Mouse (four votes) and Big Bird (one) also appeared as write-in choices despite being cartoon animals. Tony Soprano earned a vote, as did Frank Underwood, the fictional character who becomes president in the TV series “House of Cards.”
Other voters, apparently unimpressed with their options for president, used the write-in vote to express their disappointment with this election cycle. Choices that received support from more than one person included “NONE,” with six votes, and two votes each for “NONE OF THE ABOVE,” “NEITHER,” “NO CONFIDENCE” and “ANYONE ELSE.”