In Alaska, the ballot instructions tell you to color in the oval and to press firmly. I have no doubt that even then some people make a check mark or an X. Habits die hard.

Usually that would not be a problem. They just simply wouldn't be counted because the optical scanner doesn't pick it up. However, if there were a very close election where every vote counted, I have no doubt that the state boards would manually go through the uncounted ballots and the checks/Exxes would then count, because the voter's intent would be clear.

If I ever messed up my ballot, I hope I would be secure enough to ask for another but I'm afraid that in my timid past I would've accepted that it's just one vote and I'd blown mine. On the other hand, I hope I would check on the ballot to see what it said to do- I suppose it says?

Skeptic, of course, if Florida's electoral votes were not counted at all, Gore would have the presidency, since he got 267 EV versus 250 something Bush got. So obviously the Republican-heavy legislature won't let that happen.

Quote: Two states split their electorial ballots based on the popular vote. 25 or so of the rest give all the votes to whoever won the popular vote in the state. I didn't know that. Which two states split their electoral votes? I don't believe that Florida is one of them.

One thing I've wanted to comment on: if a hanging chad drops off, that is not a disturbing development: if the square was partially pushed through so that the chad is loose, that is a vote. If it were not pushed against, it would not be loose and would therefore not fall off. If a person would try to make the case that handling them makes a number of chads detach, that wouldn't bode well for the hazards of machine counting as ballots go flipping through. Some very silly things have been bruited about, the last few weeks.

Ebbie