Ohio ballot scare fraudulent

Ohio ballot scare fraudulent
Net image of seemingly biased punch card
misinterpreted

Posted: October 26, 2004
5:49 p.m. Eastern




© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
An Internet image purported to be a seemingly
confusing presidential ballot in Cuyahoga County,
Ohio, turns out to be either bogus or misinterpreted.

As first published in MensNewsDaily, the ballot image
appeared to suggest that voters choosing Democrat John
Kerry would simply punch the hole adjacent to his
name, but those voting for President Bush would have
to punch a hole much further up from his name on the
card.


A community outreach specialist with Cuyahoga County
told WND each ballot for president will have the hole
for each candidate directly across from the name and
that voters will not have to punch holes in places
that seem counterintuitive.

"We've been getting several calls about this image on
the Net, and it's wrong information," said Kimberly
Bartlett of the county's elections board. "These
arrows do line up �? with the correct punch hole."

Though it was first described as a "butterfly ballot"
�? like those used in Palm Beach County, Fla., in 2000
�? Cuyahoga County's mechanism is technically a
"punch-card ballot," Bartlett stated.

"When people go into the polling place, everything
will line up."

Bartlett said there are several versions of the
county's ballot, with each one putting a different
presidential ticket in the No. 1 spot. Ballots will
even vary within each polling place, she said.

The apparently bogus ballot image had John Kerry at
the top.

"Each candidate will have their turn to be at the top
of the page," Bartlett explained.

WorldNetDaily regrets initially reporting the
MensNewsDaily story, which turned out to be false.