Stigma of 2000 Vote Remains Alive for Palm Beach County at P5

As voting directions were given to delegates at the P5 straw poll Saturday in Orlando, a special comment was made for the Palm Beach delegation --asking if they, more than anyone else, understood the directions. The focus on Palm Beach County drew immediate laughter from many of the other 3,500 delegates throughout the Orange County Convention Center hall.

Earlier in the day, Gov. Rick Scott, in his keynote address, also made light of Florida's 2000 election debacle that was highlighted by the butterfly ballot in Palm Beach County that resulted in an unexpectedly large number of votes in Democratic portions of the county for Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan.

"Remember 2000? All those Palm Beach voters who couldnt believe they voted for Pat Buchanan?" Scott said. "Well, since 2008, Ive met voters all over the state who cant believe they voted for Barack Obama. Im convinced theyll get it right next year."