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October 7, 2008 11:53:18 PM CDT

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Want to Vote, O'Connor? Think Again

Posted Feb 22, 08 4:00 PM CST in Technology 

(Newser) – The Information Age has been bad news for O'Connors, D'Angelos, Al-Husseins, and Van Kemps everywhere. Apostrophes in Irish, French, Italian, and African last names; hyphens in Arab names; and spaces in Dutch ones cause their owners endless headaches when computer systems reject or mis-record them, reports the AP, blocking them from voting, booking flights, and taking college exams.

Thousands of votes weren’t counted in the 2004 Michigan caucus because of computer problems with voters’ names. Such glitches happen either because the system filters out strange-looking names or because punctuation is mistaken for computer code once the name is stored. Some people are giving in and changing their surnames’ traditional spelling—at least when dealing with technology.

Source Associated Press

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software  • computer programming  • electronic voting  • spelling  • surnames


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