Write-in campaign

A write-in campaign is an attempt to elect a candidate, who is not listed on the preprinted ballot, by writing his name in as permitted by the state election voting laws.

While "write-in" candidates rarely win, it has happened. The most famous recent example of a write-in candidate winning an election was Lisa Murkowski in Alaska in November 2010, who "became the first Senator in more than 50 years to win an election with a write-in campaign."