A reader writes, “I just received my Florida absentee ballot, and it is really difficult to find Charlie Crist’s name. It is one thing to say he is placed ninth out of ten (with a write in space at the bottom), but it really looks different when you see the actual ballot. I really think that you cannot underestimate the number of possible Crist voters who will not be able to locate his name and will vote for someone else or not vote.”
Take a look at the sample ballot to the right: It is a bit like playing “Where’s Waldo” except less colorful and not as fun.
Crist spokesman Danny Kanner told Battle ‘10 that they “intend to inform voters” about the governor’s placement on the ballot. When asked what the educational campaign would include, Kanner said strategists were still talking about options.
Joe Lieberman, the last successful independent candidate for Senate, ran TV ads in 2006 featuring a Lieberman supporter using a dog to sniff out his candidate’s name.
“You won’t need a bloodhound to find me on the ballot this year, but you will have to look a little harder than usual,” Lieberman said.
The biggest hangup for Crist might be Florida’s large population of early voters. Nearly half the votes in the GOP primary came before Election Day. With absentee ballots already in the mail or in voters’ hands, any campaign to help supporters locate Crist might be too late.