The Briefing Room
General Category => Editorial/Opinion/Blogs => Topic started by: mystery-ak on November 01, 2020, 07:00:55 pm
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Candidates: Here's how to legally steal an election
By Mike Byrne and Phil Kortum, opinion contributors — 11/01/20 01:00 PM EST
So, you want to win an election, do you? You’re worried because the poll numbers suggest the vote will be close, and you’re a bit behind. You don’t want to engage in anything illegal like ballot-box stuffing or hacking voting machines. Essentially, you want to steal the election, but in a quiet, legal way, right?
Have we got a deal for you.
Given the current environment, with widespread apprehension about election security and media reports about voter suppression concerns, you might think this would be a challenge. Trust us when we tell you, it won’t be. Here is how you win the election: You control the design of the ballots.
Remember Florida in 2000? Recounts, hanging chads and court rulings. The “final†tally had George W. Bush win the state by less than 600 votes. An unusual punch-card ballot design in Palm Beach County, referred to as the “butterfly ballot,†led thousands of voters into making errors. Some lost their vote entirely and others accidentally voted for the wrong guy. The ballot design cost Al Gore the state, and thus the White House.
What we’re selling is a way to capitalize on known psychological principles. We know, for instance, that the order that candidates are listed on the ballot influences how many votes the candidates get — the candidate listed first has a clear advantage. We’ll try to get your name first, but that’s hard to do. Instead, what we’re selling is deliberately flawed ballot design. Designs that are intended to lead voters — not all voters, mind you, but enough — into making errors that invalidate or alter their votes, so you can move the needle a couple points in your direction. It should win you that close election.
more
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/523826-candidates-heres-how-to-legally-steal-an-election
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Our ballot is straightforward.
. We know, for instance, that the order that candidates are listed on the ballot influences how many votes the candidates get — the candidate listed first has a clear advantage.
DJT is listed first followed by Kanye.