American Ballot Theatre

Scoff all you want at Stephen Colbert's presidential campaign, but when the faux blowhard directs his battalion of loyal fans (a.k.a. Colbert Nation) to rock the vote, they take their duties seriously. Just look at his previously successful electoral stunts:
October 2005 Colbert advocates ''truthiness'' in The Colbert Report's debut. The term enters the lexicon at lightning speed and becomes Merriam-Webster's 2006 Word of the Year in a contest based on online votes.
July 2006 Colbert coins ''Wikiality'' (his explanation: ''Together, we can create a reality we can all agree on'') and asks viewers to submit false information on Wikipedia.org about the elephant population in Africa. The Nation responds — and many of Colbert's legions are subsequently blocked by the site.
August 2006 Colbert nominates himself (duh!) when he learns of an Internet-driven contest to name a new bridge being built in Hungary. Fans help him win, but are stymied by a law requiring that the bridge's namesake be deceased. Forced to withdraw, Colbert gets a Hungarian passport out of the deal.
August 2006 The Michigan ice-hockey team Saginaw Spirit announces an online poll to name its new mascot. Colbert Nation ''vote-bombs'' the site at the host's request, and Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle is hatched.

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