This is a PSA for all my New York City peoples. The way today's ballot is set up on lever machines is confusing. The Democratic presidential candidates run across the top, and their delegate slates are below them -- except for Richardson and Edwards (and maybe Biden, now that I think about it), as their slates are blank. I heard from a handful of reasonably bright people who have voted already that they didn't realize that they were supposed to pick delegates in addition to voting for their candidate. Some were worried that their vote might not have registered because of it.

So I rang up the NYC Board of Elections. A staffer there assured me that your presidential choice is counted even if you neglect to pick the delegates that support that candidate. They're "separate votes," he told me. So, it seems pretty likely that if you voted Clinton but failed to turn the tiny lever next to "Joe Smith, delegate pledge to support Clinton," you're all good.

There is one added twist. According to the NY Democratic Party, you could, in theory, vote for both Obama and delegates pledged to Clinton, but that wouldn't change the presidential tally. All you'd be doing would be helping to select the delegates (meaning Joe Smith goes to the Democratic convention instead of Jane James) assigned to the presidential candidates in whatever proportion the direct votes for them earn them. There's one caveat there too -- delegates are assigned in a way to make sure that there's a healthy gender balance, so Jane might get the nod even if Joe gets more votes today.

This is why I didn't laugh when all those Floridians messed up their butterfly ballots.

(Republicans do things differently; there are no delegate options on that side of the ballot.)