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Home Front: Politix
The Ohio Butterfly Ballot
2004-10-24
This is via the Current Electoral Vote Predictor 2004 site, Oct 24th:

"Here is an example of the kind of issue that might turn Ohio into Florida.. Take a look at the absentee ballot for Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland is located. Suppose you wanted to vote for George Bush. Which square would you fill in?"
[original image]
[Note: I clipped this image to fit RB comment area better - otherwise it is unchanged.]



"If you picked the one I colored in green one, congratulations, you just threw your vote away. The one in red is the correct choice to vote for George Bush. Blue is for Kerry."
Posted by:.com

#14  Have fun Tony!
Posted by: Shipman   2004-10-24 8:12:34 PM  

#13  I just read at powerline that this is a bit disingenuous as the punch card does not come attached to the booklet as the image implies. None the less, it is confusing and looks likely to lead to litigation.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-10-24 6:09:04 PM  

#12  I picked 14. This ballot doesn't seem too well designed (to put it mildly!)

I'm in DC at the moment, and on the way over had a looong conversation with a well-educated woman who told me that every county had it's own voting method (at which I was very surprised!). She also was vehemently anti-Bush and kept on about Bush's oil links. She was, however, extremely friendly and told me about the way DC is laid out (avenues for States and that most everything 'hung off' Constitution Avenue). I didn't have the heart to tell her I was rooting for Bush, as she was a very nice woman :). Been to the Air and Space museum today and that's an awesome place...
Posted by: Tony (UK)   2004-10-24 5:12:20 PM  

#11  Lets file the Al Gore Bad Ballot suit NOW, while they can stop this abomination before it is used.

And the ordering - how do they determine that? How'd Kerry get top-line and Bush bottom-line below even the "Disqualified" line?
Posted by: OldSpook   2004-10-24 4:47:59 PM  

#10  I suspect that it's a lot more likely that there's a misprint on the ballot form, which is why 2 and 4 point to holes 12 and 14. I don't remember even being able to see the numbers on the punchcard ballots until you take it out of the slot. You just see holes in the plastic.
Posted by: Angie Schultz   2004-10-24 3:43:03 PM  

#9  Do the numbers 12 and 14 have any other meaning on the ballot?

Why can't they use a simple design where the voter puts a cross in a checkbox next to the intended recipient of the vote? it seems that the US (alone?) has developed all sorts of needlessly complex voting "methods". I've seen ballots in Sweden and Switzerland and never noticed anything as complex as that.
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever)   2004-10-24 3:22:43 PM  

#8  I just wonder if the elections comishioner for Cuyaha County is a card carrying democrat
Posted by: Cheaderhead   2004-10-24 2:46:56 PM  

#7  While I admit up front I know none of the facts in the case, I suspect it is more fair to say the courts have ruled that Nader has not met the requirements necessary to be placed on the ballot, unlike his fellow wackos from the Constitution Party and the Libertarian Party. If Nader met the requirements the courts would not "let Nader on the ballot." They would instruct the officers responsible for the election to follow they law, as the court probably did in this case.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-10-24 2:16:47 PM  

#6  Peroutka and Baldwin are of the Constitution Party. The courts won't let Nader on the ballot.
Posted by: Nick   2004-10-24 2:03:40 PM  

#5  Who are Peroutka and Baldwin?

Why is Nader not on the ballot?
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever)   2004-10-24 1:31:40 PM  

#4  Hmm. The 6 and 10 line up, but 2alignes with 12, and 4 aligns with 14. Just enough plausible deniability. Cuyaha county includes that well known paragon of electoral integrity, Cleveland.
Posted by: ed   2004-10-24 12:30:27 PM  

#3  Who designed this Democratic form? Carter?
With this one could make the case for Brazilian help in more honest voting.
Posted by: Cynic   2004-10-24 12:29:24 PM  

#2  rats! i picked 23
Posted by: half   2004-10-24 11:49:44 AM  

#1  Duh - "Predictor"
Posted by: .com   2004-10-24 11:41:27 AM  

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