Overvote

When the number of selections made by a voter in a contest is more than the maximum number allowed.

Overvotes on State and Local Ballots: In most U.S. elections, voters can only select one candidate per race on their ballot. Selecting more than one candidate for the same race would result in an overvote. If an individual overvotes for a particular contest, the votes cast by that individual for the overvoted contest will not be included in the final tally. If a voter realizes that they have overvoted prior to casting their ballot, they may request a replacement ballot.

For example, a sample ballot prepared for voters in Concord, Massachusetts for the 2020 general election can be accessed at: https://concordma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/26612/202011-03-Presidential-Election-Ballot. This ballot indicates that, for the U.S. Senate race voters can only select one candidate. As such, voting for Kevin J. O’Conner and listing a write-in candidate for this race would be considered an overvote. If the U.S. Senate race was the only overvoted contest on the ballot, properly marked votes for the remaining ballot contests would be counted as usual.