hanging chad
Incompletely punched remnant
A hanging chad is a piece of paper incompletely punched from a ballot or punch card, still attached at one or more corners.
The term became famous during the disputed 2000 U.S. presidential election, when Florida recounts hinged on whether ballots with hanging chads should count as valid votes.
Election officials examined each ballot for hanging chads.
Data storage via perforations
- perforationHole punched through something
- hole punchDevice for piercing paper
- paper ballotPhysical voting document
- butterfly ballotOffset two-page voting form
voter intent · stylus · template · card stock · voting booth
Southeastern American peninsula state
- Bush v. GoreElection-deciding court case
- Supreme CourtNation's top tribunal
- Miami-DadeMerged Florida county name
- butterfly ballotOffset two-page voting form
recount · Gore · Bush · electoral votes · swing state · too close to call · legal challenge · equal protection
Split along party lines
- litigationLegal dispute process
- constitutional crisisFundamental governmental legal conflict
- electoral integrityHonest, accurate voting systems
- media frenzyIntense journalistic attention surge
public outrage · election law · legal battle · political drama · legitimacy · deadlock · unprecedented · historical turning point
Counting done manually
- scrutinizeInspect with close attention
- magnifying glassHandheld lens for enlargement
- light tableBacklit viewing surface
- voter intentMeaning behind a ballot
tally sheets · certification · verification · discrepancy · election judge · tabulation · audit trail · vote tallying
punch card
Data storage via perforations
- perforationHole punched through something
- hole punchDevice for piercing paper
- paper ballotPhysical voting document
butterfly ballot · voter intent · stylus · template · card stock · voting booth
Florida
Southeastern American peninsula state
- Bush v. GoreElection-deciding court case
- Supreme CourtNation's top tribunal
- Miami-DadeMerged Florida county name
butterfly ballot · recount · Gore · Bush · electoral votes · swing state · too close to call · legal challenge · equal protection
partisan divide
Split along party lines
- litigationLegal dispute process
- constitutional crisisFundamental governmental legal conflict
- electoral integrityHonest, accurate voting systems
media frenzy · public outrage · election law · legal battle · political drama · legitimacy · deadlock · unprecedented · historical turning point
hand count
Counting done manually
- scrutinizeInspect with close attention
- magnifying glassHandheld lens for enlargement
- light tableBacklit viewing surface
voter intent · tally sheets · certification · verification · discrepancy · election judge · tabulation · audit trail · vote tallying
- election problemsmiscount, overvote, undervote, voter fraud, ballot stuffing
- political jargonfilibuster, gerrymandering, caucus, pork barrel, lame duck
- electionsballot, ballots, voter registration, candidates, polls
- votingballot, vote, voters, ballots, voter
- 90sTamagotchi, pogs, Furby, slap bracelets, Tickle Me Elmo
- ballotsabsentee ballot, blank ballot, early ballot, invalid ballot, mail ballot
hang, hanging, hung, chad, hangs, hanged, overhang, overhanging, overhung