Butterfly Ballot
Butterfly Ballot: A ballot that has the names of candidates down both sides of a ballot, with a single column to mark choices down the middle.
Definition
A ballot that has the names of candidates down both sides of a ballot, with a single column to mark choices down the middle.
Alternative Definitions
- Definition 2
A “ballot having more than one column listing ballot choices that share a common column for designating those choices.” N. C. Gen. Stat. §163-165.4B. A “ballot where two ballot pages are used side by side and where voters must vot e on candidates or issues on both sides of the pages.” Mo. Rev. Stat. §115-420.2 The butterfly ba llot is illegal in some states, e.g. Missouri and North Carolina. Missouri has created an exception for unusually lengthy ballots. Even though punched card systems are no longer used, poor DRE ballot setup can result in a butterfly ballot. The most famous butterfly ballot in history was that used in Palm Beach County, Florida in the U. S. Presidential race in 2000, in which the ballot layout led voters who intended to vote for Al Gore to vote for Pat Buchanan instead.