Chad (paper)

Chad refers to fragments sometimes created when holes are made in a paper, card or similar synthetic materials, such as computer punched tape or punched cards. "Chad" has been used both as a mass noun (as in "a pile of chad") and as a countable noun (pluralizing as in "many chads").

History

In the 2000 United States presidential election, many Florida votes used Votomatic style punched card ballots where incompletely punched holes resulted in partially punched chads: either a "hanging chad", where one or more corners were still attached, or a "fat chad" or "pregnant chad", where all corners were still attached, but an indentation appears to have been made. These votes were not counted by the tabulating machines. The aftermath of the controversy caused the rapid discontinuance of punch card ballots in the United States.

Chad is sometimes used as confetti.

In season one, episode 6 ("Slutty Pumpkin") of How I Met Your Mother, Ted Mosby dressed as a hanging chad for Halloween.

In BBC 2's quiz show Mastermind, one of the questions of the general knowledge round regarded chad, as in the Florida votes.