Legal Definitions - dimpled chad

A dimpled chad is a small piece of paper that is attached to a punch-card ballot by several points and punched out by a voter to cast a vote. It is called a "chad".

In order for the vote to be counted, the chad must be completely separated from the ballot.

The 2000 presidential election was delayed for several weeks because more than 40,000 ballots with partially attached chads had to be hand-counted.

A dimpled chad is a chad that is bulging but not pierced, with all its points attached to the ballot. It is sometimes called a "pregnant chad".

Example: If a voter punches a hole in the ballot but the chad is still attached to the ballot, it is considered a dimpled chad.

This definition is important because it highlights the significance of properly filling out a ballot and ensuring that the vote is counted.