519 Fla. Voting Machines Are Going, Going, Gone

Collectors from around the world logged onto an Internet auction to grab 519 of Palm Beach County, Fla.’s infamous Votomatics, the voting machines that were at the heart of the 2000 presidential election debacle.

The county had offered 3,594 of the machines on EBay. The fate of the leftovers was unclear.

Money raised will help pay for the new $14-million touch-screen voting machines which should be ready for the February election.

For a $300 minimum bid, buyers received the notorious butterfly ballot, sample punch cards, a plaque and certificate of authenticity, plus “any chad which are in the machine from previous elections.”