Ohio ballot scare fraudulent

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.