1.   Although Le Pen has said he will cast a blank ballot Sunday, some analysts suspect he has secretly urged his followers to vote for Jospin.

2.   Amid that, the movement to file blank ballots is picking up steam.

3.   A blank ballot was the only option.

4.   In Parliament Tuesday, reformers refused to vote for the two candidates who ended up on the Guardian Council, casting blank ballots.

5.   Jacobsen, a recently retired Israeli Navy commando, said he voted for Barak last time, but this time he plans to cast a blank ballot.

6.   One unhappy voter told The Republic she encountered a blank ballot.

7.   Seventy-eight people had accidentally cast blank ballots.

8.   Some abortion opponents called for casting blank ballots rather than backing Republican nominee Dolly Madison McKenna, who, like Bentsen, supports abortion rights.

9.   Some liberal voters, who cannot bring themselves to vote for Sharon, are considering filing blank ballots as a protest against Barak.

10.   The Republicans will argue that local canvassing boards can subjectively decide the election by turning blank ballots into votes for Gore.