Perot Write-In Votes Will Not Be Counted in State Primary

SACRAMENTO — Write-in votes for Texas billionaire Ross Perot will not be counted in California’s June 2 presidential primary, but those cast for Red Ryder will be.

Ryder, of East Wenatchee, Wash., is one of 15 would-be presidents who filed the necessary paperwork to have their write-in votes tallied. Perot, who is considering running as an independent in November, did not file the statement.

The paperwork includes a declaration of candidacy.

“Mr. Perot is not a write-in candidate for the primary. Any write-in votes cast for him in June will not be counted,” said March Fong Eu, California’s secretary of state.

Write-in votes for Perot also were not counted in Tuesday’s presidential primary in Oregon. But exit polls taken for the four major television networks reported that Perot won about 15% of the vote on the Republican ticket and about 13% on the Democratic side of the ballot.

Similar totals appear possible in California, where the presidential contests are largely irrelevant because President Bush already has locked up the Republican nomination and Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton is closing in on the Democratic nomination.