But most of the large counties kept the punch-card ballots, shrugging off evidence that thousands of voters were being silenced in every election. The report was distributed to elections offices around the country. Similar problems erupted in that year's U.S. Senate contest in Palm Beach, Broward and Hillsborough counties. Elections supervisors in most large counties say they either did not recognize the ruined ballots as a significant issue or believed that no other voting method was significantly more accurate. The ballots are counted at precincts so they can be rejected immediately if voters make mistakes such as double-punching.
Some people accidentally mark too many candidates on a ballot.
Some people intentionally do not vote in some races, particularly when they lack familiarity with the candidates. As a result some elections supervisors and some Republicans argue that the proportion of uncounted ballots in the 2000 presidential election was not unacceptable. Joan Brock, deputy supervisor of elections in Pinellas County, said of the furor over this year's undervotes. Using a pencil to mark a ballot is just so much simpler. Optical scan systems work better for two reasons, election supervisors in those counties said.