TL;DR SUMMARY: The differences between the redacted and the final 2023 Hugo ballots involved three items and were due to rules applications as explained in the 2023 Hugo Award Stats Final report.

The “ineligibles” were not on the redacted ballot, either. If you don’t know what the redacted ballot was, keep reading.

SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER. Last July 2 the Chengdu Worldcon released a version of the Hugo final ballot, then within hours took it offline and asked news outlets to remove it. File 770 honored the request (see “2023 Hugo Finalists [Redacted]” – which reported what happened, but you won’t find the old list there).

Committee member Helen Montgomery explained at the time, “Official statement is that the list was posted in error by IT as part of their set up / testing process, but it is an earlier version of the ballot and is not correct.”

On July 6 the corrected ballot was posted: “2023 Hugo Finalists”.

WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE REDACTED VERSION? The redacted version still included three items that should have been adjudicated off the ballot under Rule 3.8.3 or for another technical reason (as discussed in “2023 Hugo Nomination Report Has Unexplained Ineligibility Rulings; Also Reveals Who Declined”).

Rule 3.8.3 says a series can be a Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form finalist, or an episode of the series can be a Best Dramatic Presentation – Short Form finalist, but only one or the other may be on the ballot, the nod going to which ever got the most nominating votes.

WERE THE INELIGIBLES ON THE OLD BALLOT? No, the “ineligibles” – R. F. Kuang’s novel Babel, Neil Gaiman’s series Sandman and one of the episodes, fan writer Paul Weimer, and author Xiran Jay Zhao (in their second year of Astounding Award eligibility) – were not on the redacted ballot, either.

DETAILED COMPARISON.

Best Novel – same finalists

Best Novella – same finalists

Best Novelette – same finalists; a comma typo corrected on final

Best Short Story – same finalists

Best Series – same finalists

Best Graphic Story or Comic – same finalists

Best Related Work

ON REDACTED (Item published in 2020.)

• THE ART OF GHOST OF TSUSHIMA, Sucker Punch Productions|对马岛之魂艺术设定集 突袭游戏工作室|海南出版社

ON FINAL

• Buffalito World Outreach Project, by Lawrence M. Schoen (Paper Golem LLC)

Best Dramatic – Long Form

ON REDACTED (Rule 3.8.3)

• Andor (Season 1) Directed by Toby Haynes, Susanna White, Ben Caron|安多（第一季） 导演：托比•海恩斯、苏珊娜•怀特、本•卡隆|

ON FINAL

• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, screenplay by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, directed by Ryan Coogler (Marvel Studios)

Best Dramatic – Short Form

ON REDACTED (Rule 3.8.3)

• Severence, S1.E9, The We We Are, Writtten by Dan Erickson, Anna Ouyang Moench Directed by Ben Stiller|人生切割术（第一季第九集）： 编剧：丹•埃里克森、安娜•欧阳•莫恩奇 导演：本•斯蒂勒

ON FINAL

• She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: “Whose Show is This?”, written by Jessica Gao, Francesca Gailes, and Jacqueline Gailes, directed by Kat Coiro (Marvel Entertainment)

Best Editor – Long Form – same finalists, order of Chinese names was changed (e.g. from Yao Haijun to Haijun Yao)

Best Editor – Short Form – same finalists, order of Chinese names was changed

Best Professional Artist – same finalists

Best Fanzine – same finalists; (And Journey Planet had 15 team members listed on both versions.)

Best Fancast – same finalists

Best Fan Writer – same finalists (including same typo in “Bitter Karelia”)

Best Fan Artist – same finalists

Lodestar Award – same finalists

Astounding Award – same finalists, order of the Chinese names was changed