"The US Voting System Problems" (Hanging Chads) (Episode: "Treehouse of Horror IX", 1998)

The Simpsons has earned quite the reputation for seemingly predicting the future. It’s actually a bit of a meme at this point, with fans pointing out how many things in the real world appear to have been "predicted" by the show, sometimes years in advance. While some of these predictions are purely coincidental or the result of broad satire, others do seem oddly prescient.

"The US Voting System Problems" (Hanging Chads) (Episode: "Treehouse of Horror IX", 1998)

• What happened: The episode parodied the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election fiasco, where "hanging chads" caused confusion during the vote-counting process.
• Reality: The 2000 election became infamous for the issues surrounding the counting of votes in Florida, particularly the "hanging chad" controversy, which involved ballots that were not properly punched.