In Minnesota, state law requires that the order of names be rotated on the ballot. So they have multiple versions of the ballot printed, with the names in a different order on each version.
(This is on top of the 12 different ballots for the 12 Legislative Districts within the city – each of then has multiple versions of the ballot for use within that District.)
I think we can lay the blame squarely on the autocorrect feature of the Microsoft Vote software used by the Rensselaer County Election Commission to create the ballots. If only they hadn’t turned off Clippy …
It also means that if the design of the ballot lends itself to a particular error, it affects all the candidates equally. If Palm Beach County had rotated the names on the ballots in 2000 we’d be getting ready to say a wistful farewell to President Gore right now.
In New York, the ballot would have not only Federal and State officials but also local officials – including towns (townships) and two cities, which would necessitate different ballots for the communities with local races. If the county legislature is up for election (likely), that would also require separate ballots for each district.
I’m getting tired of this shit. It helps, of course, that I’ve never been Mr. Nice Guy.
Fuck you, asshole. You and your ilk are the reason scuzzbags at McCain/Palin rallies are suggesting that the candidate from the other party be killed. Put your fucking brownshirt back in the closet.
I live in one of the 6 towns that the incorrect ballots went out to. I’m heartened to know that both Dems and Pubs are saying it was an innocent mistake, but is there anyone that knows anything about ballot printing that could say whether or not it’s possible for someone on the printing end of things to intercept it before it was printed and changing it? That’s what I’m thinking.
I find it hard to believe many people in Schodack, Nassau, Schaghticoke, Sand Lake, Poestenkill or Brunswick* would be voting Democratic anyway (besides me, of course). These are rural areas outside of Albany. Yee haw!
*I listed all of the towns so I could remain *somewhat *anonymous
Schodack, huh? I don’t know if the ballot screw up was the result of malice or incompetence, but I’d be down with turning Schodack into a steaming crater just on general principle. Is it possible to drive through that town without getting a ticket for doing “11 mph over the speed limit”? Although, if the Hillcrest Inn is still around, you can spare that (if that’s even in Schodack). That was like the greatest bar experience ever the one time I happened upon the place.
The Hillcrest just re-opened a couple of months ago, but I have yet to go there. My husband picked up a pizza there and it wasn’t great. And yeah, the Schodack and Nassau cops are bored so they just sit around and give out tickets. The filthy bastards! Not that I’d know anything about that. :smack:
FYI, in New York State, the parties (and candidates) are listed on the ballot in the order of the number of votes that the party received in the last gubernatorial election. As such, there should be only one version of the ballot for each election district or group of election districts that are holding the same elections.
As was noted, because of the different congressional districts, state senate districts, state assembly districts (all New York state senators and assembly members are up this election), and other municipalities and municipal districts, there may be multiple variations in the elections being held within a small area.