This is the exact ballot that we had in New Mexico.

Takes a little time to figure it out. So, what?

I pushed the right one only because I had to study it more carefully.If I had been in a hurry I would have punched Pat Buchannan because the dot is placed next to Pat Buchannan's name. When you are voting you are trying to get in and out quickly. This ballot was printed so one would automatically punch the dot next to the word "democrat" which would vote for Buchannan!
I bet Republicans made this form. Pure dirty tricks!

"I bet Republicans made this form. Pure dirty tricks!"

What an intelligent remark. Why don't you instead ask the DEMOCRATIC Palm Beach supervisor of elections from 2000 why it was designed that way.

Afterall, anyone who would vote for Clinton or Obama doesn't need a complicated ballot to fry their brain.

Amazing how a little decision like using this ballot, caused the worst president in the history of the U.S to be elected, and therefore got us into an unneccesary war with Iraq that has caused 100's of thousands of deaths.

The arrow next to the candidates number was so confusing... I wanted Gore his number was 5 so I punched 4, an I'm a really smart Dem voter.

When you look at the bold arrows pointing at the place to select, it is really quite simple. I can't believe people made such a fuss about this. Can't they follow directions?

Again.....more proof that the majority of the public is full of idiots who don't pay attention and would rather blame someone else for their mistakes rather than admit that they, themselves, messed up.

Actually, the ballot could have been improved in many simple ways. The most obvious being to put the names right next to the holes you need to punch instead of all the way on the other edge of the ballot so that you have to follow vast amounts of white space to get to the hole. Or an arrow from the name directly to the right hole. Lots of ways to fix it.

Of course the whole reaction to is was (and is) vastly overblown. Everyone was focusing on how close the race was and somehow decided that meant that we needed a more accurate way to count votes. Nothing could be further from the truth. The closer the race is, the less it matters who wins. If elections are supposed to represent the will of the people, and the people are evenly divided, then half the people are gonna be disenfranchised whoever wins, and the other half are gonna be the ones represented. The closer the election, the more likely that flipping a coin will be as fair a way as any to determine the outcome.

Instead of dragging in idiotic touch screen voting systems and harping on counting every vote, the best reform would simply have been to pass new laws that say if the election is close enough (where "enough" is defined before the election based on measured error rates for whatever equipment is being used to vote), then the candidates decide the election by random drawing. That is as close to the will of the people as any other result, and it resolves the issue without dragging in the courts and all the other idiocy.

ummm is that really the ballot ???

you have to be realllllly stupid not to get it .

The design could be much better but to say that the ballot is difficult to understand is crazy. It is pretty forward. I know a democrat designed it and passed it so to later it was not a reasonable way to vote is unfair

I had to study the ballot for awhile, but I eventually got it right. So, having said that, I'm glad for the forum here. I will do my very best to see this doesn't happen in my state. We're forming a neighborhood group here where each member thinks of one thing that we can do to make sure the November election is fair and reflects the REAL will of the people. If all of us do ONE thing, this can never happen again! Let's vote!!