The George W. Bush Years

This is one of the sample ballots mailed to voters in West Palm Beach, Florida, prior to the November 7, 2000 presidential election. The ballot was surrounded by controversary due to its design. The Palm Beach County Election Supervisor, Theresa LePore, a Democrat, said she redesigned the ballot so it would be easier for senior citizens to read. Candidates were listed in two columns and punch holes were placed in the middle of the left and right columns. Unfortunately, the boxy design and awkward printing of the names led to confusion. The second name down on the left-hand column was the Democrat, Al Gore. To vote for him you needed to punch the third hole down. The first name on the right-hand column was Reform Party Candidate Pat Buchanan. To vote for him, you needed to punch the second hole down. When the votes were counted in Palm Beach, Buchanan got 3,704 votes, or 2,700 more than he got in any other county in Florida. Democrats claimed it was the confusion caused by the “butterfly” ballots that gave the votes to Buchanan instead of Gore. After the final tabulation of the 2000 presidential election, George W. Bush won by 537 votes.