US election: Butterfly ballots do cause bias

As the US presidential election moves through the courts, the inquest into what went wrong begins. An analysis of double-column 'butterfly' ballot papers, similar to those used so controversially in Palm Beach, confirms that not only are they confusing, they are downright unreliable. The method created "systematic bias" in a test carried out the day after the US election, using a panel of Canadian college students as guinea pigs.

Psychology: An electoral butterfly effect
ROBERT C. SINCLAIR, MELVIN M. MARK, SEAN E. MOORE, CARRIE A. LAVIS, ALEXANDER S. SOLDAT
Nature 408, 665-666 (7 December 2000)
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phenomena : Butterfly voters confused
New research supports the argument that the presidential ballot paper used in Palm Beach County was confusing. (1 December 2000)

7 December 2000 table of contents