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Introduction
This paper examines the effect of voting reforms enacted in Florida in the aftermath of the 2000
presidential election and looks to see if they impacted levels of ballot invalidation in the 2004 presidential
election in Florida. Florida was at the center of controversy in the 2000 presidential election because of
the closeness of the popular vote, the level of ballot invalidation and its decisive role in deciding who
would become president. Thus Florida began to reform its system in the spring of 2001 and many of its
reforms were eventually found in the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). The reforms are designed to
reduce the rate of ballot invalidation so that all voters will be confident that their vote actually counted.
For instance Florida decertified the use of punch card systems, allowed the use of new direct recording
electronic (DRE) systems and required that optical scan systems only use immediate tabulation at the
precinct (rather than at a centralized location at the end of the night). These changes are supposed to allow
voters an opportunity to fix mistakes on their ballots before final submission. Florida tightened up its
rules on ballot design requiring one column on one page so voters would be less likely to overvote.
Florida also required an education program for volunteers working for the supervisor of elections and for
the public.
Jewett (2001) asks the question: What explains variation in ballot invalidation among Florida
counties in the 2000 election? Regression analysis suggests that voting system, ballot design, race, voter
experience, and population density help explain differences. Counties using punch cards or optical scan
with central tabulation had higher error rates than counties using optical scan with precinct tabulation.
Counties using any ballot design other than one column on one page had higher levels of invalidation.
Counties with higher percentages of African American and rural residents and inexperienced voters also
had higher levels of blank or spoiled ballots. Counties with a Republican supervisor of election or higher
levels of senior citizens, Hispanics, poor people or registered Republicans did not have higher or lower
rates of invalidated ballots.
Convention