Posted on 10/24/2006 10:57:46 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Virginia ballot glitch chops names
21 minutes ago
U.S. Senate candidate James H. "Jim" Webb has lost his last name on electronic ballots in three Virginia cities where election computers can't cope with long names.
The glitch in Alexandria, Falls Church and Charlottesville also affects other candidates with long names, officials said.
Webb, a Democrat, appears with his full name on the ballot page where voters make their choices. The error — referring to him only as James H. "Jim" — shows up on a summary page, where voters are supposed to review their selections.
Election officials emphasized that the problem shouldn't cause votes to be cast incorrectly, though it might cause some confusion.
The mistake stems from the ballots' larger type size, election officials said.
It affects only the three jurisdictions that use balloting machines manufactured by Hart InterCivic of Austin, Texas.
"We're not happy about it," Webb spokeswoman Kristian Denny Todd told The Washington Post, adding that the campaign learned about the problem one week ago. "I don't think it can be remedied by Election Day. Obviously, that's a concern."
Every candidate on Alexandria's summary page has been affected in some way. Even if their full names appear, as is the case with Webb's Republican opponent, incumbent Sen. George F. Allen, their party affiliations have been cut off.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Rove, you magnificent bastard!
Geez - the DUmmies will have a field day.
Any idea whether Alexandria is a blue or red enclave?
Doesn't matter, they're all BIG Democratic bastions. I live in one of them!
Viva Allen!
Rove!
Laying the groundwork for a recount...?
Very blue.
Hehehehhe...IT'S the ROVIAN!!
""We're not happy about it," Webb spokeswoman Kristian Denny Todd told The Washington Post, adding that the campaign learned about the problem one week ago. "I don't think it can be remedied by Election Day. Obviously, that's a concern." "
This is bad news.
James H Webb 10 Characters
George Allen 11 Characters
Hmmmm...
It's on the SUMMARY page fer cryin out loud. How hard could it be to figure it out.
...an area that screwed something up?...it's gotta be blue.
Before you celebrate too much, it also chops off the name of a guy running against Jim Moran in Alexandria. It's a non-partisan glitch.
Alexandria and Charlottesville are the two most liberal municipalities in the entire Commonwealth. Falls Church is also Democratic these days, but considerably less so.
But Webb has to have his nickname there as well, hence it reads James H. "Jim" Webb.
Inferring from the article, it looks like "Jim" was included in the name, making the summary page entry longer.
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