Though several people in Gloucester have formally launched “write-in campaigns” for the Nov. 5 general election, their names will not appear printed on the ballot.

According to Bobbi Morgan, Gloucester’s voter registrar, the Virginia Department of Elections provides guidance to local electoral boards to handle write-in votes.

“The voter will have to write in the name of the person they choose,” Morgan said. “Only candidates that filed and were qualified before the deadline have their names on the ballot.”

According to Morgan, the best practice in determining what may be counted as a write-in vote for a particular candidate often requires determining voter intent.

“Any abbreviation, misspelling or other minor variation in the form of the name of a candidate or a political party should be disregarded in determining the validity of the ballot, if the intention of the voter can be ascertained,” she said. “Write-in candidates a...