Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal Commentary Blogs -> Infamy or Praise

Legal Commentary

: Infamy or Praise

TGIS: Thank God It's Schadenfreude! (291)

This week's joy in the misfortune of others comes courtesy of the Austin American-Statesman (from Monday, October 11; link good at time of posting):

For the past few years, at least, officials in Atascosa County, south of San Antonio, have been sending out absentee ballot packages that include a page with a flag proudly displayed in a wavy motion.

The only trouble is, it's the Chilean flag, not the Texas flag. And it took a Ph.D. candidate to point it out.

Troy Knudson , who is studying in Japan and registered to vote in Atascosa County, was the first to notice the mistake and alert officials.

"Apparently the insert has been used for some time without anyone (voters and staff) noticing," he wrote in an e-mail. "I guess it's funny in some way, but my initial reaction was more disbelief that no one had noticed."

....

Janice Ruple , the elections administrator in Atascosa County, didn't see any humor in the mistake.

"I don't think it's funny," she said. "It's a serious thing."

Ruple blamed the woman who held the job before her for the flag mix-up. The previous elections chief couldn't be reached for comment.

Ruple has been on the job for three years.

[Previous TGIS]

Full post as published by Infamy or Praise on October 15, 2010 (boomark / email).