> Here in the States, you have a list of bubbles to fill in, and an "other" option. I assume that's how it is in most places. I think a major difference is tha

> Here in the States, you have a list of bubbles to fill in, and an "other" option. I assume that's how it is in most places. I think a major difference is that in most places in Europe at least there is no "Other" option - the list of candidates is fixed by some legal date before the election. Doing anything other than choosing one of the official candidates simply means that your vote is invalid. Invalid votes are all counted together, not matter what made them invalid (a torn paper is counted the same as a paper where you wrote Mickey Mouse or spilled coffee on it); with the possible exception of blank votes, which are sometimes counted separately as "protest votes" (though I don't believe they have any legal significance, at best they may carry symbolic significance).