Magnifying glass and chads, Broward County, Florida, 2000
date: label: date made
content: 2000
notes: label: Description
content: The presidential contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore came down to Florida in November 2000. A confusing ballot design and incomplete punch marks hampered the recount effort, which ground into late November until halted by the Supreme Court.
label: Description
content: In Broward County, teams of counters examined each ballot, forwarding cards in need of interpretation to Judge Robert A. Rosenberg. A famous photograph shows Rosenberg peering through a magnifying glass at a ballot and the “chads” (paper fragments) dangling from incomplete punch marks. This is one of two magnifying glasses that Rosenberg used and kept as souvenirs of the recount, together with a bag of “authentic chads.”
label: Description
content: Gift of Robert A. Rosenberg, 2001–2004
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Florida
label: referenced
content: United States: Florida
topic: label: used
content: Voting
setName: label: See more items in
content: Political History: Political History, General History Collection
label: See more items in
content: Government, Politics, and Reform
label: See more items in
content: Souvenir Nation
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Robert R. Rosenberg
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2004.0304.01
label: accession number
content: 2004.0304
label: catalog number
content: 2004.0304.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: chad, ballot
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: beige (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: white (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: black (overall color)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 in x 3 7/8 in; 5.08 cm x 9.8425 cm