Barack ‘Osama’ Printed on New York Absentee Ballots
In what may turn out to be one of the nastiest, hardest fought election seasons in our lifetime, the dirty tricks are starting early. In Troy, New York, voting officials claim it was a "typo" that is responsible for Barack Obama’s name appearing as ‘Barack Osama’ on a ballot already distributed to hundreds of voters.
TROY – Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s last name is spelled "Osama" on hundreds of absentee ballots mailed out this week to voters in Rensselaer County.The misspelling, which elections officials on both sides of the aisle insist was simply a typo, is causing embarrassment for the county.
”No question this is an honest mistake innocently done,” said Edward McDonough, the Democratic commissioner. ”We catch almost everything.”
”This was a typo,” said Republican Commissioner Larry Bugbee. ”We have three different staff members who proof these things and somehow the typo got by us.”
Officials say the flawed ballots were sent to approximately 300 voters. On row 1A Barack Obama’s name is spelled Barack Osama.
Is it a Freudian slip, intentional act or a mistake? Voters are sure to have opinions, and one pol pointed out that the letters ’s’ and ‘b’ are not exactly keyboard neighbors.
Oh please. In the words of Judge Judy, “Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining!” At least they could have come up with an excuse like “the B key was broken.” Something.
But even the county Democratic election commissioner is apologizing for what he calls a terrible mistake.
McDonough said the absentee ballots went out to voters in Brunswick, Nassau, Sand Lake, Schaghticoke and Schodack with the error.
So far three people have called to point it out, he said. Those people will get new ballots sent to them.
Sure it’s an insulting incident but one voter wisely wonders about the larger ramifications of such a misspelling appearing on an official ballot:
One Sand Lake resident who caught the misspelling, and who asked to remain anonymous, was skeptical.
”It’s a little suspicious and at least grossly incompetent,” the voter said, wondering ”if I crossed out the name and wrote in the right spelling my ballot would be invalid?”
Well would it? THAT is the question for the county election commissioners.
Posted by: Carmen D. in 
Ok – I had to take a typing test FIVE times in 1985 before I could get the job I was getting hired into, but B and S aren’t anywhere NEAR each other.
Ugh. Not April fool’s huh?
October 10th, 2008 at 1:00 pm -Where else will these “mistakes” crop up?
October 10th, 2008 at 1:10 pm -It is an error to imagine that civilization and savage cruelty are antitheses. On the contrary, in every organic process, the antitheses always reflect a unified totality, and civilization is an organic process.RichardL.RubensteinRichard L. Rubenstein, The Cunning of History
October 10th, 2008 at 1:34 pm -I hate that this happened but in some degree of fairness if you do a spell check with Obama typed in, spell check with change it to Osama. if that was not paying attention that could be one way it happened.
October 10th, 2008 at 2:47 pm -So they misspelled Obama’s last name with Osama’s first name? And the Democratic election commissioner claimed it was an error? As Jill has said, the B and the S on the keyboard aren’t that close to each other. However, if you put them together–BS–you get the ‘big lie’ told in Troy, NY.
October 10th, 2008 at 3:30 pm -Jill and N-2-Me-I-C – pretty remarkable IMHO.
October 10th, 2008 at 4:35 pm -Hi Ruth, welcome to the conversation. Thank you for making your comment – I wish to really understand it fully.
Would you please tell me a little more about how you see “fairness” or lack there of in relationship to the misspelling on the presidential election ballot or in relation to the post about it? Thank for reading and I look forward to your response.
October 10th, 2008 at 4:37 pm -”It’s a little suspicious and at least grossly incompetent,” the voter said, wondering ”if I crossed out the name and wrote in the right spelling my ballot would be invalid?”
Well would it? THAT is the question for the county election commissioners.
Another question to ask the county election commissioners is whether the ballot might be invalid if someone voting for Obama used it and did not correct the misspelling. Since it’s clearly a misprinted ballot and therefore should have been replaced? Or could someone who saw that the race was close and wanted to pull a fast one by getting ballots tossed out claim that it was invalid — since for all the election officials knew, the voter might have really meant to vote for “Barack Osama,” and therefore their votes shouldn’t be counted toward Barack Obama. I mean, not that anyone would ever try to use the courts to steal an election or anything [cough] but just speculating? :/
Angie
October 10th, 2008 at 7:49 pm -although if I was pro Obama and part of his campaign, I would do this deliberately to swing the pendulum of public sentiment and political
October 11th, 2008 at 9:28 am -correctness far in the other direction. it would make his acceptance of mid east originated internet donations an unapproachable issue.
trust me, these kinds of calculations and strategies are implemented.
@fcg#p, oh like the mythical “whitey tape?” Here are the facts – I believe that assertion is a lie.
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/d/dowd-obama.htm
If you have other verified specifics, please post them. The truth will get a full airing here on this thread and I will read through your facts for sure
And BTW,
Apples and Oranges with regards to the misspelling of a presidential candidate’s name on an official ballot.
October 11th, 2008 at 1:09 pm -At the risk of losing votes, Obama ‘deliberately’ misspelled his name on ballots to swing public sentiment? That’s too far out for me. However, I can see where the McCain/Palin campaign might do it to swing votes in THEIR direction. In fact, Obama has been called a “terrorist”, “traitor”, and an “Arab” at their rallies. So why not misspell his last name with “Osama” on ballots? ‘Trust me, these kinds of Republican calculations and strategies are implemented.’
October 11th, 2008 at 4:29 pm -If all the proof readers and 2 commissioners misses something as important as spelling, I think they should resign. What were thet proofing?
October 12th, 2008 at 5:15 pm -u know how the do in america
October 12th, 2008 at 5:27 pm -