Hot on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

'Osama' Ballots Spark Probe by NY County

Absentee voters picked up on typo multiple proofreaders missed

By Gabriel Winant, Newser User

Posted Oct 12, 2008 2:33 PM CDT

(Newser) – "Barack Osama" appears on 300 Rensselaer County absentee ballots, and the upstate New York county’s government wants to know why. Legislators from both parties have ordered an investigation into the board of elections, which prints its own ballots rather than contracting out the work. The board says at least four proofreaders—two Republicans and two Democrats—missed the misspelling, reports the Albany Times Union.

"It's unfortunate that it happened," said the minority leader, a Barack Obama supporter. "The Obama campaign was certainly very understanding." Alerted to the trouble Friday, just as it blew up into a national story, a campaign spokesman responded, "We're glad officials are working to correct this error and we assume it won't happen again."

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

Randy Anderson, Nancy Ports, and Tyler Parker (from left) process voter registrations at the board of elections in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

An absentee ballot from Rensselaer County misspelling the name of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is seen, Friday, Oct. 10, 2008. (AP Photo/The Albany Times Union, Michael P. Farrell)

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., steps off the plane at Midway Airport in Chicago Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

We need to review the procedures to make sure there are better checks and balances. - Virginia O'Brien, county legislature minority leader

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Obama Granny Missed Nov. 4, but Her Vote Will Count

'Toot' voted absentee days before her death

(NEWSER) - Madelyn Dunham didn't live to see whether her grandson would become president, but ABC News reports that the absentee ballot of Barack Obama's grandmother will be counted. An elections official in Hawaii said that the ballot was received on October 27, meeting the requirements for a valid vote. Dunham died yesterday after a long battle with cancer, aged 86. More»

We Say Osama, Mitt Says Obama

Candidate makes gaffe on the stump

(NEWSER) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney yesterday confused the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks with the junior senator from Illinois, the New York Times' Caucus blog reports. During a speech on global trade in Greenwood, SC, Romney said, “look at what Osam—uh—Barack Obama, said just yesterday. Barack Obama calling on radicals, jihadists of all different types, to come together in Iraq.” More»

Media Gaffe of the Year: the Obama/Osama Mixup

...and other mistakes

(NEWSER) - One is the president of the United States. The other was bent on destroying the United States. So you’d think Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden would be pretty easy to keep straight. But when the former announced the death of the latter, a really embarrassing number of news outlets couldn’t , and the ubiquitous "Obama bin Laden dead" gaffes that followed have been named Poynter ’s top typo of the year. Every year Craig Silverman looks at the biggest media screw-ups; the other notable typos, errors, and gaffes he spotted include: More»

Most Popular National Politician Today Is ...

Hillary Clinton, as 'buyer's remorse' plagues a third of the country

(NEWSER) - The most popular politician nationwide is the one that got away: Hillary Clinton. Nearly two-thirds of the country sees the secretary of state favorably, and a third are battling what Bloomberg terms “buyer’s remorse” over not electing her president. Just over a year ago, only a quarter of Americans felt that way. “Looking back, I wonder if she would have been a stronger leader, knowing the games and the politics and all that goes on,” says a Florida woman. “I don’t think she would have bent as much.” More»

Obama: US 'Would Repeat bin Laden Raid'

President calls for better US-Pakistan ties

(NEWSER) - The killing of Osama bin Laden by US special forces has strained US-Pakistan relations, but President Obama says he would do it again if another militant leader was discovered there. "Our job is to secure the United States," Obama said in an interview with the BBC . "We are very respectful of the sovereignty of Pakistan. But we cannot allow someone who is actively planning to kill our people or our allies' people—We can't allow those kind of active plans to come to fruition without us taking some action." More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

'Osama' Ballots Spark Probe by NY County