Chicago Ballots Identify Candidate Rich Whitney as "Rich Whitey"

Rich Whitney.

/ www.facebook.com/Rich Whitney for Governor

It's the typo to end all typos: Illinois gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney's name is misspelled as "Rich Whitey" on some electronic-voting machines in Chicago, and officials say the problem can't be fixed before election day.

The Chicago Sun-Times, which broke the story, notes that half of the flawed machines are in predominantly African-American areas of the city. The problem is present in 23 of Chicago's 50 wards.

"I don't want to be identified as 'Whitey.' If this is happening in primarily African-American wards, that's an even bigger concern," Whitney, the Green party candidate, told the Sun-Times.

He added that the typo could be the result of "machine politics" and said "this has to be disconcerting to a voter," though he added he was not sure how it will impact the vote.

A Rasmussen poll out today found Whitney taking just two percent of the vote. The survey found he trails Republican Bill Brady with 46 percent, Democratic Governor Pat Quinn with 40 percent and independent Scott Lee Cohen with 4 percent.

Whitney's name is actually spelled correctly on initial screens on the electronic voting machines but then becomes "Rich Whitey" on review screens. City officials say they do not have sufficient time to reprogram the machines, though Whitney is reportedly considering legal action to try and force them to address the matter.

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Brian Montopoli is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of his posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter.

[AdamM83]

Oh, a name like Rich Whitey is guaranteed to make him a favorite among the less fortunate.

[runthecorrection]

Correction: Illinois Ballot Mistake story
In a story Oct. 15 about a mistake in Chicago's electronic voting machines, The Associated Press erroneously reported the way a gubernatorial candidate's name appears on a ballot review touch-screen. The screen lists the candidate as "R. Whitey," not "Rich Whitey" as the AP reported. The candidate is Rich Whitney of Illinois' Green Party. Chicago Board of Elections officials have said they will correct the problem before election day.

Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/10/15/1384195/correction-illinois-ballot-mistake.html?storylink=twt#ixzz132gZfNeC

[sameoldbs]

And if you read the opinions Brian Montopoli who wrote the story, incomplete and lacking important details like who made the mistake and the assumptive tone of your article tells me how good of a reporter you are.

[sameoldbs]

Just a goof... An error... Click on the story below. Now switch this up for a minute an see if the biased & liberal media would have treated the story with the same apologetic and innocent tone if lets say.... Mark Brown a black candidates name was "misspelled" as "Dark Brown". Public outrage, a meeting on the steps of city hall with Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, public apologies, the printer loses his contract with the city, a civil suit against the employee who made the error and about ten back stories about possible Nazi or Klu Klux Klan ties to that employee etc.

PS. notice there is no mention as to who made the error and if they were white or black... Gotta love the news these days, incomplete, biased and partisan. You want republican news turn to Fox, you want democratic news turn to CNN, you want Green Party news turn to MSNBC. What a world we live in...

[HikerDan]

Unfortunately, you are absolutely right...

[Jeanne256]

This made my day. I couldn't stop laughing when I heard this on the morning news. LOL

[tsigili]

That's how 3rd party candidates are treated......unfairly.....by the both main parties, and especially by Dems.

That was NOT an accident. The Dems made that happen.

[noloyalisti]

Well he IS white but is he rich? I hope so because if you are a Green you don't get any laundered foreign corporate money through the US Chamber of Commerce.

[Harden_Tar]

That is absolutely hilarious! And absolutely Chicago, and I totally agree on the "Osama" proposition. You have to know "community organizers" set up the voting machines. Of course he IS a green party candidate and therefore inconsequential. Still funny though.

[sls3]

Chicago Politics is so corrupt.

[sls3]

In Chicago no less.
If Obama's name would have misspelled as Osama, you know the election would not have happened until his name was corrected.
Chicago politics is so corrupt.
Iraq's voting is more accurate and less coerced than Chicago.