Why did some Palm Beach County voters accidentally vote for Pat Buchanan?

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U.S. presidential election of 2000 — Bush v. Gore A Florida judge examining a challenged vote at an operations center in Plantation, Florida, during a recount of the state's U.S. presidential election ballots, 2000.

In Palm Beach County, Florida, during the 2000 presidential election, some voters accidentally cast their ballots for third-party candidate Pat Buchanan due to the design of the butterfly ballot.

The ballot layout was confusing, leading some residents who intended to vote for Al Gore to inadvertently select Buchanan instead. This design flaw resulted in approximately 3,400 votes for Buchanan in that county alone, which accounted for about 20 percent of his total votes statewide.12