"objectively unclear, like the infamous butterfly ballot"
I saw a reproduction of this ballot in the newspaper at the time and I remember wondering what the problem was supposed to be. It seemed perfectly clear, but journalists were jumping on the bandwagon of calling it confusing.
Analysts believe a minimum of 4,000 people accidentally voted for Pat Robertson (in a heavily Jewish, not heavily conservative area, the anti-Semite Robertson got far more votes than polls or expectations). 10,000 ballots were invalidated from double-punching Gore and Robertson. It was a major UI failure.
I saw a reproduction of this ballot in the newspaper at the time and I remember wondering what the problem was supposed to be. It seemed perfectly clear, but journalists were jumping on the bandwagon of calling it confusing.