Don't Leave Chad Hanging

Black line drawing illustration of a hangman over black text, all on a yellow background.

The term “hanging chad” comes from punch card ballots, in which the piece of paper to be punched out by the voter is referred to as a “chad”. A hanging chad results from an incomplete punch, leaving the paper semi-attached. This can lead to difficulty counting votes, as it did in the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election, when a narrow margin between Bush and Gore led to recounts. Ultimately, the election was effectively decided with a supreme court case that halted the recounts. In the following years, the country moved away from punch card ballots; congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in 2002.