Legal Definitions - tri-chad

Definition: Tri-chad is a type of chad, which 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. In order for the vote to be counted, the chad must be completely separated from the ballot. Tri-chad is attached to the ballot by three points.

Example: During the 2000 presidential election, more than 40,000 ballots had to be hand-counted because they had partially attached chads. Tri-chad is one type of chad that could cause a ballot to be rejected if it is not completely detached from the ballot.

Explanation: The example illustrates how tri-chad can impact the accuracy of an election. If a voter does not fully detach the tri-chad from the ballot, their vote may not be counted. This can lead to delays in election results and disputes over the outcome of the election.