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Broward Ballot Design Could Have Cost Nelson the Election

November 19th, 2018 by Mike Vasilinda

In the 2000 recount and the 2018 election, bad ballot design was a contributing, if not a deciding factor on who won.

In each election, it was Democratic Supervisors of Elections who cost Democratic Candidates the election.

In 2000, it was the infamous buttery fly ballot that had nearly four thousand people in Palm Beach voting for Pat Buchanan instead of Al Gore. Gore lost by 537 votes.

This year, Broward County put the U-S Senate race at the bottom of a long first column following a list of ballot instructions.

“If we were to look at how those undervotes would have broken down partisan wise in Broward County, that would have netted Nelson anywhere from nine to eleven thousand votes. Which theoretically, I mean, he lost by about ten thousand, that could have made the difference up,” said data consultant Matt Isbell.

The US Senate undervote in Broward was between 3.5% and 4%.

That’s nearly four times higher than the statewide average of 1%.

“We had many counties, including Dade and Palm Beach were more votes were cast in the for the US Senate than for Governor,” said Isbell.

Republican Party of Florida Attorney Pete Dunbar lays the blame on the local Democratic Party and Bill Nelson’s campaign.

“Everybody had the opportunity to look at that ballot a head of time. That can be considered a bit of a careless oversight on the part of the Democrats,” said Dunbar.

While it’s too late for Nelson now, count on ballot design being on campaign checklists going forward.

Ironically both the butterfly ballot and this year’s ill fated Broward Ballot were designed by Democratic Supervisors of Elections.

“One of the things we all learned after 2000 is that we all have to be more engaged in the ballot design process,” said Democratic Strategist Steve Schale. “This is a public process.”

Apparently that lesson was forgotten.

Broward Election Supervisor, Dr. Brenda Snipes, has resigned, effective January 4th.

One of the infamous “buttery-fly” ballot machines was given to the state museum in 2001.

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