The Briefing Room
Exclusive Content => Editorials => Topic started by: 240B on November 13, 2016, 02:33:15 am
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The Popular Vote Myth Explained
Votes are counted until there is no reason to count any more votes.
Not every vote is counted.
A calculation is done based on the number of unknown uncounted votes available.
If the gap between the two candidates is more than the number of unknown uncounted votes available then the count is halted as there is no point to continue.
Total number of votes entered = 1999
Candidate X has 1000 votes
Candidate Y has 900 votes
Uncounted Votes = 99
The counting is halted and the 99 votes remain unknown and uncounted because there is no longer any point in counting them.
Did candidate X actually have 1099 votes?
Did candidate Y actually have 999 votes?
We will never know.
The next time some frickin' idiot tells you that Hillary won the Popular Vote, just explain to him that he is a fool and does not know what he is talking about.
Since not all votes are actually counted, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHO WON THE POPULAR VOTE!
Our tallying system simply doesn't work that way for Presidential elections.
Tell Reid and Moore to go back to school and take another civics course so the next time they speak, so they might actually know what they are talking about the next time they open their ignorant mouths.
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Thank you! That is EXACTLY right!
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@Bigun @240B
This is actually EXACTLY wrong.
I did some research on this matter and it appears that the notion that absentee ballots are not counted unless it is close is a myth.
I believe the myth originated from the fact that states would be called as "won" prior to all absentee ballots being counted because they couldn't sway the outcome, but they still eventually get tallied and added into the certified totals.
So, it's a lie.
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At this point, Trump got fewer votes in winning than Mitt Romney got in losing.
So there's that.
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@Bigun @240B
This is actually EXACTLY wrong.
I did some research on this matter and it appears that the notion that absentee ballots are not counted unless it is close is a myth.
I believe the myth originated from the fact that states would be called as "won" prior to all absentee ballots being counted because they couldn't sway the outcome, but they still eventually get tallied and added into the certified totals.
So, it's a lie.
OK! I'll take your word for it but even if what you say is true it will be quite some time before the finally tally is known to anyone.
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I believe all vote totals are supposed to be certified by Dec 13th, but I think there are some states who have done it already.
Here's a link of dates associated with that:
http://www.uniformlaws.org/shared/docs/military%20and%20overseas%20voters/overseasvoters_timetable%20chart.pdf
Bear in mind, that it is highly unlikely that the vast majority of states will change their vote totals by much at this point. The ballots have already been counted, there is little to protest, so recounts are not underway across the country.
Bottom line: Hillary won the popular vote. Everyone here should accept that and stop pretending it isn't true.
This is the reason we need the electoral college. Otherwise all elections could basically be decided by 7 democratic stronghold cities. (Not fully, but statistically, if it was popular vote only, those cities would tip the statistical scales by about a factor of ten.)
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@bolobaby
Thank you bolobaby for straightening me out. I really thought what I wrote was the way it worked. It is not something I made up in my own head. What I wrote was how the process was explained to me. So, I blame my teacher.
Obviously, I feel foolish about this but it was an honest misunderstanding on my part. I am glad that you have taught me the right way this process works. I can accept being wrong if the value of that is learning the truth.
Thanks again
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The next time some frickin' idiot tells you that Hillary won the Popular Vote, just explain to him that he is a fool and does not know what he is talking about.
Furthermore, you can explain to them that Hillary Clinton did not win a MAJORITY of the popular vote. Because no candidate won the majority of the vote, the 12th Amendment requires the House of Representatives to elect the President. It would be expected that the strong majority of Republicans in the House would elect Donald Trump.
Winning the popular vote doesn't win her the presidency either...more people would have to had to have voted FOR her than those who voted AGAINST her.