10:46 a.m. November 20 - November 22, 2000: Judge Rules against Mandating Re-vote in Florida County, Issues ‘Dimpled Chad’ Ruling

Palm Beach County, Florida, Judge Jorge Labarga rules that he has no constitutional authority to order a re-vote in that county due to use of the controversial “butterfly ballot” (see November 14, 2000). Two days later, Laborga rules that ballots with so-called “dimpled chads” (punch-card ballots whose punch holes, or “chads,” are dented, as if the voter attempted and failed to push the paper through the hole entirely and thus register a vote) cannot be summarily excluded from the Palm Beach manual recount. However, officials can reject questionable ballots if the voter’s intent cannot be determined. [US News and World Report, 12/13/2000; Jurist, 2003; Leip, 2008; Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit, In and For Palm Beach County, Florida, 11/20/2008 ] Apparently, ballots with “dimpled chads” legally indicate voter intent to vote for that particular candidate.