Can design sway the balance of power in Washington? Maybe so.
Especially if the ballot design is really terrible.
And that’s quite possibly what happened last week in Florida. In one county over 3% of voters did not cast a vote for the hotly contested Senate race. That’s more than 25,000 people! At this point the recount continues and fewer than 15,000 votes separate Rick Scott and Bill Nelson.
A comparison of voter activity across the state showed that fewer than 1% of Florida voters passed on their choice for Senate. So the stats from Broward County are definitely not normal.
Take a look for yourself: Broward County Ballot
Would you have missed the senate candidates?