MSNBC just showed the Palm Beach ballot

[nyhuskyfan]

The thing is even more confusing than 2000. Basically they have two pieces of a disconnected arrow pointing to each candidate, and you have to fill in the gap in between the two pieces of the arrow of the candidate you choose. They said that 1 in 10 filled it out incorrectly in the primaries.

I mean, seriously. What the heck is wrong down there?

[dennis4868]

1. I saw that also...

that would confuse me...what the hell is it with this county? Why do they make it such a challenge to get a person's vote counted? Really fucked up....

[Ian David]

2. Charlie Crist is a Repuke. n/t

[polichick]

3. I used to vote there and had no problems...

But imo it looks like they're deliberately making it difficult now.

[progressivebydesign]

4. That's what we have in Washington, on the absentee, and no one had a problem.

It's pretty easy to do... well, for Democrats anyway. ;)

[Fresh_Start]

5. I saw it....

thought it was one of the worst designs I'd ever seen.

[burythehatchet]

6. Saw that. Would love to meet the person who came up with that gem.

[anigbrowl]

7. That's how we do it in California, it works OK.

As long as the arrows are lined up correctly with the candidates' name, there should be no problem. Optical-scan voting seems to be the most reliable automated system, although not all machines are created equal.

[Hestia]

48. That was our paper ballot here in Ark too, and it ain't complicated.

[TransitJohn]

8. I've been voting on those since I was 18

on our optical scan machines here in Wyoming. They're not confusing, and it shows right at the top of the ballot how to fill it out. I mean :wtf:, is everyone in this country too stupid to read directions? :hide:

[PBS Poll-435]

13. From "Recount"

Ron Klain: How hard is it to punch a paper ballot?

Michael Whouley: It’s pretty God damn hard when you're eighty something years old, you're arthritic, and you're blind as a fucking bat. Unfortunately for us, blind fucking bats tend to vote Democratic.

[TransitJohn]

21. Point taken.

but are these any harder than the fill-in-the-oval type optical scan ballots? I don't really think so.

[hlthe2b]

31. these are optiscan ballots, not punch, but the vision impaired...

might have problems... Most major Denver precincts have special machines for the visually impaired...

[PBS Poll-435]

32. I understand

The point remains, though, that voting in America's oldest population county is difficult.

[Dappleganger]

39. Those arrows are pretty large, you can't miss them.

[SoonerPride]

9. That's the Oklahoma ballot

Exactly

[shagin]

10. We have those in chicago

And honestly I love them. I don't know how you can screw it up. You simply draw a line with a pen. It beats the heck out of the hole punching we used to have years back.

It makes filling out the 100+ races here bearable.

[OKNancy]

11. We vote that way

I'm also in Oklahoma and it is NOT confusing at all.

[nyhuskyfan]

15. I should clarify

They didn't have an actual ballot - the reporter showed what it looked like with a sketch pad, so maybe the actual ballot wasn't all that bad.

[Lefta Dissenter]

12. Hey,

it's better than this...





I actually like the optical scan ballots, which I think you're describing. That's what we use here in Wisconsin.

[livedemocarticordie]

14. sorry but we have the same thing in

DC and its not that hard folks. It shows in big letters and a diasgram what to do..not sure why someone would put an X there unless they cant read the directions which on DC's were brief, blunt and to the point..this is the same kind of ballot they've had here for 15 years...

[jjanpundt]

16. That's the ballot we used in the suburbs of Chicago. Easy to

do. The instructions are very clear. People shouldn't have tht much trouble with it. Been using that type of ballot for the past several elections. No problems.

[PermanentRevolution]

17. In Miami, we had the kind with the circle to fill in

No weird connect-the-arrows or anything.

[1corona4u]

18. Bullshit. It couldn't be easier.

By the way, we didn't have that ballot in the primaries. We didn't have them until the LOCAL primary, in August. In January it was a touch screen.

[BamaTideFan83]

19. Simple. Straightforward. Foolproof.

There are two ends of an arrow, separated by a 1/2" gap. You just finish the arrow. Then the optical scanner reads down the form until it hits the line you've drawn in. Nothing could be simpler. Honestly, even Republicans can understand it.

[1corona4u]

22. Exactly. A 2 yr old could do it.

:eyes:

[stevenleser]

27. See above regarding "From recount" (n/t)

[hlthe2b]

20. that sounds like the CO ballot....at least that used in Denver

No problem here, though except for the extreme length of the ballot (lots of initiatives)... Is it like this optiscan paper ballot?

[1corona4u]

26. Yes, it is.

[azmouse]

23. We vote that way in AZ and haven't had any reported problems

with people understanding how to vote.
And keep in mind, we have plenty of retirees here.

[AZCat]

41. That's not the way my ballot (Pima County) was set up.

We had the usual optiscan fill in the bubble style ballot.

[luvbrothel]

24. Not a problem

We do that here in California. I just left the polling place where half the room was filled with seniors. They didn't seem to have any problems with it. Actually seems fairly simple.

[Tesibria]

25. We (AZ) vote that way - it's simple.

[FlaGranny]

28. Just now voted on that ballot

I had no trouble with it and neither did DH. They give you a black pen that fills in the space with one stroke. I didn't see anything confusing about it. My only problem with the ballot was the placement of my Congressman on it - Robert Wexler. His name was all by itself at the bottom of the list of presidential candidates. We both nearly missed it.

[kdmorris]

29. I'm in Palm Beach County

There's a lot wrong down here and I'm kind of rushing right now, but I can say that the ballot is NOT more confusing than 2000.

We got the little practice thing and both my daughters (voting for the first time) have been practicing how to draw a line from one arrow to another. :D

[demo dutch]

30. I'm in Palm Beach, first time voting there and it was NOT confusing!

[dubyaD40web]

33. At least it's on PAPER

I'll take it over a Diebold

[Tommy_Carcetti]

34. Palm Beach voter here.

I didn't have any problem with it. Unlike the butterfly ballot, which had a single strip of holes for a two sided ballot, this one was pretty straight forward.

[Dappleganger]

35. That's the same one we have up here in St. Johns county

There are pretty clear instructions about how to fill it out, but obviously it's not clear enough for everyone.
Really, it is not a bad ballot IMO. We've used this format for the past couple of elections. You can just draw a crooked line or fill it in completely and it will register.

[davidwparker]

36. We just switched to it in southeastern VA. I liked it. I was expecting the

electronic voting machines and was pleasantly surprised when I saw PAPER and it was counted with the optical reader. At least there is paper.

The example shows to make a line. I made it a little larger than the example, but slightly thinner than the width of the endpoints.

Biggest turnout that I have ever seen in this area and I was done after 30 minutes.

PAPER BACKUP! YIPPY !!!

[slutticus]

37. Sounds like optiscan.

I just voted on this. Seemed easy enough to me.

[Mz Pip]

38. That's how my absentee ballot looked

It really wasn't that confusing and the directions were very clear.

[kevin881]

40. its the same thing we have here in Chicago...

its not hard to figure out at all, its an optical scan ballot, and they CHECK them as you turn them in to see if there is an undervote. If there is they will tell you. Guys don't freak about this media generated story... its fine.

[MadBadger]

42. Um, I just did the same thing in Madison, its actually really really easy

All you have to do is draw a line.

[Fla Dem]

43. Same in my county in Fl. It's really easy...just connect the line.

Seriously, it couldn't be any easier. Let's not make mountains out of molehills.

[Khaotic]

44. No problem

I don't think people will wrongfully connect one side of the arrow next to Obama to the end next to McLame.

The person would have to be suffering from extreme dillusion.

Our ballot used to look that way here in Scott County, Iowa. Coming from Missouri I didn't think it was the best way, but I wasn't really confused.

But, then again, I feel a little bit more edumacated than some.

[high density]

45. How is that confusing? I'm sure there is an example on the ballot that shows you how it works.

We had "complete the arrow" in Maine for years but this year we seemed to have moved to fill in the bubble ballots.

[maladjusted]

46. I just used that same type of ballot in Chicago

It's a little labor-intensive to fill out but it is better than the punch cards we used to have

[izzybeans]

47. We have the same in Chicago. It took me a few minutes to figure it out.

[skeewee08]

49. We

have the same kind in Oklahoma.