• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

United States Election: Nov 6, 2012 |OT| - Barack Obama Re-elected

Status
Not open for further replies.
C

Cubsfan23

Banned
NC is the only swing state you can say with confidence that Romney will win. Florida is a total toss-up. All the others, Obama will, at most, lose one state......and Ohio won't be one of them


you are delusional if you think otherwise.
 
N

NullPointer

Member
dem said:
How is it possible that you guys have 6 hour lines to vote?

As a Canadian... that is mind boggling.
Click to expand...
What are you talking about? There are secure ATMs everywhere you look, so it only takes moments to access my bank ac--

Oh, you mean VOTING. Sorry, I must have missed that part.

Yeah, its crazy isn't it? You'd almost have to work purposefully to make things that difficult.
 
S

steveovig

Member
Someone please help me understand the Electoral College. I always thought that electoral votes depended on which candidate won each state, (ie: Obama gets the most votes in Ohio and would get all the electoral votes as a result).
 
U

usea

Member
steveovig said:
Someone please help me understand the Electoral College. I always thought that electoral votes depended on which candidate won each state, (ie: Obama gets the most votes in Ohio and would get all the electoral votes as a result).
Click to expand...
Yes, except a few states (Maine and Nebraska?) will split their electoral votes based on the split of the vote in that state. But for the majority, you're correct.

What don't you understand?
 
V

VALIS

Member
steveovig said:
Someone please help me understand the Electoral College. I always thought that electoral votes depended on which candidate won each state, (ie: Obama gets the most votes in Ohio and would get all the electoral votes as a result).
Click to expand...

That's exactly it, except for Maine.
 
K

Kusagari

Member
dem said:
How is it possible that you guys have 6 hour lines to vote?

As a Canadian... that is mind boggling.
Click to expand...

The 6 hour lines are mostly in Broward/Miami-Dade counties in South Florida. Both counties have well over 500k+ voters.

This year they cut early voting days and also cut the amount of polling places.
 
S

steveovig

Member
usea said:
Yes, except a few states (Maine and Nebraska?) will split their electoral votes based on the split of the vote in that state. But for the majority, you're correct.

What don't you understand?
Click to expand...

I just couldn't understand why some people say voting doesn't matter. I thought there was more to the college than just counting up state votes.
 
P

Piecake

Member
Kusagari said:
The 6 hour lines are mostly in Broward/Miami-Dade counties in South Florida. Both counties have well over 500k+ voters.

This year they cut early voting days and also cut the amount of polling places.
Click to expand...

I honestly dont understand why population matters. Just add more voting places. Simple
 
K

Kusagari

Member
Piecake said:
I honestly dont understand why population matters. Just add more voting places. Simple
Click to expand...

The Republicans in power of Florida know that Broward/Miami-Dade are the key to Obama winning Florida.

That's exactly why they cut voting places and days/hours.
 
dem

dem

Member
Something Wicked said:
Well, there more than 6 times as many people in the US than Canada (almost 10 times actually, and metro Miami has more than a million more people than metro Montreal... say that 5 times fast...).
Click to expand...

So... have more polling stations? Have more people work the polling stations?

That's not exactly an impossible task.


I don't think I've ever had to wait more than 5 minutes to vote.
 
T

thefro

Member
dem said:
How is it possible that you guys have 6 hour lines to vote?

As a Canadian... that is mind boggling.
Click to expand...

Not enough polling places in urban areas. Electronic voting machines (touchscreens), etc are confusing for some people and take longer to vote than paper ballots. Also can be all sorts of issues with IDs & provisional ballots that slow the line a lot.
 
H

Hawkian

The Cryptarch's Bane
dem said:
How is it possible that you guys have 6 hour lines to vote?

As a Canadian... that is mind boggling.
Click to expand...
Please don't get me started.

Rick Scott (our fuckwad- I mean, governor) literally cut the early voting hours in South Florida in half from the amount there were in the 2008 election. Early voting is very important because these counties have large populations with a lot of socioeconomic disparity- people are voting "whenever they can" and if "when they can" happens to be a time when the doors are shut (which is to say ALL DAY YESTERDAY AND TODAY in Broward), no votes for you.

There are a lot more polling places open tomorrow than there were during early voting, so 6 hour lines will hopefully be the max, but you really do not know. I'm not at all confident.

Meanwhile, conservative talk radio was going hard on the "what do you need early voting for? you're not going to have any trouble voting tomorrow. Make time for it, you knew it was coming!" line this morning. Fuck them, hard, many times.
 
F

Felix Lighter

Member
dem said:
So... have more polling stations? Have more people work the polling stations?

That's not exactly an impossible task.


I don't think I've ever had to wait more than 5 minutes to vote.
Click to expand...

It is not in everyone's best interest that voting is quick and easy, unfortunately.
 
P

pigeon

Banned
nunst058.gif

OHIO

Polls close: 7:30 pm ET
Pundits say:
tnr said:
For the second time in eight years, the Buckeye State is poised to offer the decisive electoral votes to reelect an incumbent president. The polls show Obama with a lead of around 2 or 3 points, enough to make him a favorite but not enough to assure victory, especially since he remains beneath 49 percent of the vote. At first glance, Obama’s resilience in the Buckeye State seems to defy partisan history and demographics. It’s about the only state where Obama is doing so well where his chances depend on maintaining gains among white working-class voters who voted for Bush in 2004. But Obama’s success among African Americans and postgraduates has shifted the state toward Democrats, forcing Romney to compensate with white working class Kerry voters. And although there are clear opportunities for Romney to make gains in southern and southeastern Ohio, the Obama campaign’s strategy is perfectly suited to deny him the gains he needs.
Click to expand...

http://www.tnr.com/blog/electionate/109150/the-road-victory-in-ohio

In the coal-mining country of Southeastern Ohio, half an hour from the West Virginia border, I expected to find a potent stew of anti-Obama sentiment. This area is the home of the downtrodden Appalachian whites who've never much trusted the president -- but now, thanks to cultural resentments and the coal industry's decline, they're practically in open revolt. Just look at the results of the West Virginia presidential primary: rather than pull the lever for Obama, nearly 40 percent of the state's Democrats cast votes instead for an unknown Texas prison inmate, Keith Judd, who'd managed to get his name on the ballot. As one Democratic elected official told me darkly, this part of the state is "the northernmost extension of the Confederacy."

But in the day I spent criscrossing this rolling green landscape, it wasn't that simple.

I found Fred Chafin in his driveway, leaning against a red pickup truck and sipping a can of Budweiser under a "Dale Earnhardt Jr. Boulevard" sign. "I wish there was somebody else to vote for -- maybe Hillary," the 51-year-old maintenance man said with a laugh. "I'm not really a Republican or a Democrat. I don't know too much about Romney. But if he's for the rich to get richer, I'm not for that."
Click to expand...

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics...ters-who-are-killing-romneys-campaign/263061/

Early voting: Despite the best efforts of everybody's favorite boogeyman, John Husted, early voting in Ohio began on October 2nd, and closed today at 2 pm. Ohio doesn't have party affiliation in the traditional sense, so it's tough to judge how big the Democrat lead is -- but early voting totals in the traditional Democratic stronghold of Cuyahoga County, home to Cleveland, were right on pace with 2008 yesterday, if not a little bit higher. There's no obvious reason to think from the votes cast so far that the results will be radically different from the projections or from 2008. (Don't listen to anybody talking about partisan identification in Ohio -- with no Democratic primary in 2012, every Dem voter registered after 2008 is currently listed as unaffiliated.)

Voter ID: Ohio's voter ID law, new since 2010, requires a photo ID or bill to be presented to vote, even if you cast a provisional ballot. There is some controversy over a Husted directive that might disqualify some provisional ballots -- but I suspect the courts will step in before the provisionals ever get counted.

Polls say: 538 gives Obama an 87% chance to win Ohio with a projected lead of 3.2 points -- despite the spin, it's less close in Nate's view than the majority of swing states. The RealClearPolitics average also clocks in with a whopping 3 point lead for the President.

Watch for: The whole enchilada. Despite Romney's heavy polling deficit, he needs Ohio to have any shot at the Presidency -- there are other paths for him, but he hasn't dedicated much time to campaigning in them in the last few days, preferring to stay in the Rust Belt that has been so inhospitable to him. If Obama holds onto a lead in Ohio, Romney doesn't have a chance; if Romney wins it, it's an indication that his theory of the electorate has legs. So Ohio's call will probably tell you what'll happen in the rest of the country. Hopefully it won't take too long -- in 2008, Ohio was called after two hours with a five-point margin; in 2004, it took five for a two-point margin.

edit: The newest 538 projection raised Obama's chance to win to 92% with a 3.8 point lead! This should make things quicker, but it won't change the math -- whoever wins Ohio has a very good chance to win the election.

ohio-quarter.jpg
 
H

Hawkian

The Cryptarch's Bane
Kusagari said:
The Republicans in power of Florida know that Broward/Miami-Dade are the key to Obama winning Florida.

That's exactly why they cut voting places and days/hours.
Click to expand...
Forgive the dramatic turn of phrase, but it is one of the most overt, blatant subversions of democracy I have witnessed in my lifetime or even read about in this country's history. We have 29 electoral votes. We have a population of millions and the margin of victory could (and has) come down to a sub-1000 vote tally. Any attempts to make it any more difficult for anyone to vote are absolutely inexcuable.
 
M

mcfrank

Member
pigeon said:
nunst058.gif

OHIO

Polls close: 7:30 pm ET
Pundits say:

http://www.tnr.com/blog/electionate/109150/the-road-victory-in-ohio



http://www.theatlantic.com/politics...ters-who-are-killing-romneys-campaign/263061/

Early voting: Despite the best efforts of everybody's favorite boogeyman, John Husted, early voting in Ohio began on October 2nd, and closed today at 2 pm. Ohio doesn't have party affiliation in the traditional sense, so it's tough to judge how big the Democrat lead is -- but early voting totals in the traditional Democratic stronghold of Cuyahoga County, home to Cleveland, were right on pace with 2008 yesterday, if not a little bit higher. There's no obvious reason to think from the votes cast so far that the results will be radically different from the projections or from 2008. (Don't listen to anybody talking about partisan identification in Ohio -- with no Democratic primary in 2012, every Dem voter registered after 2008 is currently listed as unaffiliated.)

Voter ID: Ohio's voter ID law, new since 2010, requires a photo ID or bill to be presented to vote, even if you cast a provisional ballot. There is some controversy over a Husted directive that might disqualify some provisional ballots -- but I suspect the courts will step in before the provisionals ever get counted.

Polls say: 538 gives Obama an 87% chance to win Ohio with a projected lead of 3.2 points -- despite the spin, it's less close in Nate's view than the majority of swing states. The RealClearPolitics average also clocks in with a whopping 3 point lead for the President.

Watch for: The whole enchilada. Despite Romney's heavy polling deficit, he needs Ohio to have any shot at the Presidency -- there are other paths for him, but he hasn't dedicated much time to campaigning in them in the last few days, preferring to stay in the Rust Belt that has been so inhospitable to him. If Obama holds onto a lead in Ohio, Romney doesn't have a chance; if Romney wins it, it's an indication that his theory of the electorate has legs. So Ohio's call will probably tell you what'll happen in the rest of the country. Hopefully it won't take too long -- in 2008, Ohio was called after two hours with a five-point margin; in 2004, it took five for a two-point margin.

ohio-quarter.jpg
Click to expand...

Good stuff, keep em up.
 
U

usea

Member
steveovig said:
I just couldn't understand why some people say voting doesn't matter. I thought there was more to the college than just counting up state votes.
Click to expand...
No, that's basically it. Each state has N number of votes based on population, and they basically just count up all those to determine the winner.

I'm not sure what you mean about people saying voting doesn't matter, but imo it doesn't matter. The election will go the same way whether you vote one way, the other, or not at all. It's kind of cynical, but whatever.

I disagree about votes mattering more in swing states, though. Emotionally sure, people feel like their vote is more important in an election outcome that is expected to be narrow. But really it still doesn't matter there either.
 
JeTmAn81

JeTmAn81

Member
Currently listening to The Sean Hannity Show. It's been a long time since I've listened to conservative radio, and the amount of spin on display, not just in the show (Karl Rove was the guest!) but in the ads, is mind-blowing.
 
JeTmAn81

JeTmAn81

Member
usea said:
No, that's basically it. Each state has N number of votes, and they basically just count up all those to determine the winner.

I'm not sure what you mean about people saying voting doesn't matter, but imo it doesn't matter. The election will go the same way whether you vote one way, the other, or not at all. It's kind of cynical, but whatever.

I disagree about votes mattering more in swing states, though. Emotionally sure, people feel like their vote is more important in an election outcome that is expected to be narrow. But really it still doesn't matter there either.
Click to expand...

The way the electoral college is set up, with the majority vote-getter in each state receiving all the votes, is the thing that doesn't make sense to me. With this system, you could have 49.9% of a state's population voting for a candidate, and that candidate receiving the equivalent of zero votes. Those voices aren't getting heard, and it leads to the current situation where candidates just focus on swing states.
 
S

steveovig

Member
JeTmAn81 said:
Currently listening to The Sean Hannity Show. It's been a long time since I've listened to conservative radio, and the amount of spin on display, not just in the show (Karl Rove was the guest!) but in the ads, is mind-blowing.
Click to expand...

This was my first time voting and paying close attention to politics and I'm amazed at the level of hate mongering that comes from ultra righties. I never thought it was like this but it's insane at times.
 
G

Gary Whitta

Member
JeTmAn81 said:
Currently listening to The Sean Hannity Show. It's been a long time since I've listened to conservative radio, and the amount of spin on display, not just in the show (Karl Rove was the guest!) but in the ads, is mind-blowing.
Click to expand...
It's full-on denial mode in right-wing radio talkland right now. If Obama wins I'll be tuned into it all the next day just to enjoy their meltdowns.
 
M

Mgoblue201

Won't stop picking the right nation
pigeon said:
(Don't listen to anybody talking about partisan identification in Ohio -- with no Democratic primary in 2012, every Dem voter registered after 2008 is currently listed as unaffiliated.)
Click to expand...
This is the reason I suspected for the significant number of unaffiliated voters residing in Ohio compared to other states. Does this also apply to the initiatives promoted by the Obama campaign to get people registered to vote early?
 
F

Felix Lighter

Member
JeTmAn81 said:
The way the electoral college is set up, with the majority vote-getter in each state receiving all the votes, is the thing that doesn't make sense to me. With this system, you could have 49.9% of a state's population voting for a candidate, and that candidate receiving the equivalent of zero votes. Those voices aren't getting heard, and it leads to the current situation where candidates just focus on swing states.
Click to expand...

States that split their votes instantly become less important to the candidates. There isn't a lot of incentive to do it unless a large number of the states do it together.
 
E

Eric WK

Member
Gary Whitta said:
It's full-on denial mode in right-wing radio talkland right now. If Obama wins I'll be tuned into it all the next day just to enjoy their meltdowns.
Click to expand...

The level of delusion that radiates from the Drudge Report main page today is nothing short of HI-FUCKING-LARIOUS.
 
P

Piecake

Member
steveovig said:
This was my first time voting and paying close attention to politics and I'm amazed at the level of hate mongering that comes from ultra righties. I never thought it was like this but it's insane at times.
Click to expand...

I can't listen to any cable news or pundit talk anymore. its just terrible. I get my news from PBS news Hour and NPR. While i may not get the same feeling of righteous anger, I think i get better information without my blood pressure rising to dangerous levels

But yea, ill be turning on fox news for a laugh come election day just to witness the sweet sweet tears
 
A

APF

Member
RDreamer said:
Also, I'd like to point out that if Romney wins, that means that the strategy of obstructing everything and never compromising works, and that'd be why the democrats would largely copy that strategy.
Click to expand...
It might be possible this was really a gamble on the part of the GOP predicated on the hope that it would help force Obama to be a one-term president, and failing that outcome will be a colossal miscalculation.

Note that the situation surrounding Obama was totally different than that would surround an improbable Romney term: a candidate running with an ambitious agenda, as someone who can instigate real substantive change while also being a uniting force against the partisanship of the time--this alone would be the perfect candidate to shut-down with an absolute "just-say-no" policy. Add to this the emergence of the Tea Party making huge gains in the party against the Republican establishment, running largely on what's essentially "Government should do nothing" rhetoric, and you can imagine the political calculation being a lot different than it would be for Democrats were Romney to win.



quadriplegicjon said:
Whoa, where have you been? Welcome back. I actually mean that even though I disagree with pretty much everything you say ;)
Click to expand...

How could I miss-out on the joy tomorrow? :)
 
K

Kettch

Member
JeTmAn81 said:
The way the electoral college is set up, with the majority vote-getter in each state receiving all the votes, is the thing that doesn't make sense to me. With this system, you could have 49.9% of a state's population voting for a candidate, and that candidate receiving the equivalent of zero votes. Those voices aren't getting heard, and it leads to the current situation where candidates just focus on swing states.
Click to expand...

You've highlighted one of several reasons why our electoral system is outdated and terrible. It doesn't make sense, because it doesn't make sense.
 
V

VALIS

Member
BobTheFork said:
You are a damned fine human being. I had not played High Speed until a few weeks ago at the Dory Hill Annual Tournament. It seriously kicked my ass; great game though.
Click to expand...

Ha! It's funny, there's a huge pinball arcade right near me, and despite High Speed being a lifelong favorite, it's one of the games I play the least there. Reason being exactly what you said, it's a brutal quarter eater. Walking away from a machine 90 seconds after putting your token in is a little rough on the ego.

*tries to tie this back into the topic*

...um, ah, a feeling Mitt Ronmey will know all too well tomorrow!
 
G

Gary Whitta

Member
Eric WK said:
The level of delusion that radiates from the Drudge Report main page today is nothing short of HI-FUCKING-LARIOUS.
Click to expand...
Holy shit I just went over there, lasted about 30 seconds. I think it's the combination of utter stupidity and early 90s GeoCities web design.
 
B

BobTheFork

Member
VALIS said:
Ha! It's funny, there's a huge pinball arcade right near me, and despite High Speed being a lifelong favorite, it's one of the games I play the least there. Reason being exactly what you said, it's a brutal quarter eater. Walking away from a machine 90 seconds after putting your token in is a little rough on the ego.

*tries to tie this back into the topic*

...um, ah, a feeling Mitt Ronmey will know all too well tomorrow!
Click to expand...

Total Romney power drain. It's going to be like fucking up the 7-way combo on The Shadow all up in here.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

  • x2
  • Locked
Cyberpunk 2077 |OT| The Future Is Now
|OT| 97 98 99 100 101
5K
342K
EviLore replied
  • Locked
Trump on track to win re-election. (WaPo Opinion)
2 3 4 5 6
258
32K
ModBot replied
Senator Bob Corker (R) Tennessee will not seek re-election next year
2 3
111
15K
Mortemis replied
Poll: Special Senate election in Alabama a 6pt race between Roy Moore and Doug Jones
2
78
12K
CazTGG replied
  • Locked
United States Congressional Special Elections
2
59
10K
Bonen no Max'd replied
Top Bottom