Update: The sample ballots will be reprinted and mailed this week, says Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher. That’s 700,000 ballots – more than $59,000 in postage, she said. For the breakdown of what went wrong and the other names and issues blotted out by the words ‘sample ballot’ check out the full story.
Sutterfield v. Whitfield
School Board candidate Tom Sutterfield is working particularly hard to win over the voters of Lake Worth, home to his opponent Erica Whitfield. But as he sees it, the job only got tougher when the sample ballot arrived in mailboxes last week.
“My name doesn’t appear on the sample ballot – well three letters of it appear,” said the candidate, known on some sample ballots as ‘utt’.
“utt” v. Erika Whitfield
Palm Beach County Sample Ballot as it appears in Lake Worth.
Sutterfield, who hails from Boynton Beach, is working this morning to contact Elections Supervisor Susan Bucher to see if he has any recourse.
“I need Susan Bucher to do something about this. I’m sure it’s supposed to be a water mark. It’s supposed to be behind the printing. I’m going to ask Susan what the options are,” Sutterfield said.
Sutterfield and Whitfield are vying for the District 4 seat on the Palm Beach County School Board. The seat is being vacated by Jennifer Prior Brown. The district runs roughly from Lake Worth Road south to Clint Moore, from the interstate to Military Trail with a run up the central county beaches and a reach into some eastern West Palm Beach neighborhoods as well.
PBC School Board Dist. 4
Sutterfield’s name wasn’t obliterated on all ballots. In West Palm Beach, the stamp avoids the Sutterfield and Whitfield race and blots out the names of some judges up for retention in the District Court of Appeal. Some wording on the medical marijuana amendment is also covered.
