US presidential hopeful Jeb Bush, younger brother of George W., has been widely ridiculed for registering to vote as Hispanic in 2009.
Mr Bush, who is gathering support for a White House run in 2016, has a Spanish wife, speaks fluent Spanish and lived in Venezuela for two years, but is of Caucasian heritage.
When asked by US media to explain the anomaly, a spokeswoman could not.
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The younger Bush sibling has since laughed off the “mistake” online, confirming he ticked the wrong box.
“My mistake! Don’t think I’ve fooled anyone!” he posted on Twitter.
Some political opponents have accused the Republic frontrunner of being ‘sloppy’ and thus unfit for office.
“I can’t check the right box, but I can have the most powerful job in the world? I think not,” said one person on Twitter.
Jeb Bush’s family can trace their heritage back to French protestants who fled to America to escape persecution.
As former governor of Florida, Mr Bush did oversee a large Hispanic population.
The New York Times obtained a copy of the signed voting form.
My mistake! Don’t think I’ve fooled anyone! RT @JebBushJr LOL – come on dad, think you checked the wrong box #HonoraryLatino
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) April 6, 2015
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