[Official Thread] OBAMA WINS RE-ELECTION

[Simon_Jester]

And looking at it, those aren't "banana republic" problems. One or two workers here and there being caught tampering is the sort of thing that's bound to happen in a country of hundreds of millions; a tiff between the postal service and the election commission is at worst mildly confusing.

I read that the election infrastructure of the US is a joke, and that every banana republic has a better one. Is this over the top or is it accurate?

Comically over the top; the US system is perfectly capable of reporting all the votes accurately, barring the actions of a few random criminals or corrupt provincial officials in isolated cases.

A "banana republic," almost by definition, is one with corrupt election systems.

Btw., I myself have so much trouble with the idea that a land like the US has trouble to hold elections. Perhaps it's because in my country election preperations are treated as serious business and therefore gets the needed attention and efford.

WHAT "needed attention and effort?" The only thing that's even remotely an obstacle in the US is that we'd probably need to scale up the existing system by about 50% to cover all adults in the country who ought to be voting.

The system may be inelegant, but it does its intended job: count votes.

One last thing I still wonder about is the countless ways to vote. All this stuff about computers and election machines makes me scratch my head, since in my country, election computers were declared illegal (too easy to manipulate with no way to prove it) and we still have the most simple and reliable way: making an X into the right circle on a paper ballot. (you have to admit, that is a simple and reliable way)

The argument here is over whether the machines can be tamper-proofed, and whether it's worth it to hire thousands of ballot-counters on election day. Naturally, the ballot-counters are much more reliable than an equivalent number of machines, of course. No sane person could ever even consider that it might be otherwise.

Please explain to me why the US making a drama of their elections every time.

I don't know what you mean by drama.

Do you mean that the US has elections with a lot of competitive behavior and media coverage? That's not exactly strange in other countries, is it?

Do you mean that there are allegations of election fraud in US elections? There are- American politics is polarized, and there are plenty of people on both sides prepared to accuse the other side of cheating. And yet the vast majority of those accusations are either blatantly wrong, or unprovable.

Or do you mean something else entirely?

[Eframepilot]

Turns out that Tagg Romney does not own voting machines in Ohio. The GOP voter suppression effort is still a concern, though.

That was always silly. "I bought shares in your company, so you must commit electoral fraud for my dad."? Not plausible.

I am concerned about the software patches that Husted installed, though. Hopefully it's nothing.

[Crossroads Inc.]

Here we are on the final day, and 538 has Florida at 52% For Obama.
Considering I had resigned myself to Mittens winning it not to long ago, it is a HUGE turn around.

If Obama does win Florida, as well as the other swing states in VA, CO, and of course Ohio, then in terms of this election vs 2008, the only states that he would NOT pick up would be Indiana and North Carolina. Two states that no one thought would ever go Blue in the first place.

When the votes are counted and if/when Obama wins, I am really, REALLY looking forward to the response fro mthe right... Even though I can pretty much 100% predict what it will be. Basically it will boil down to "OBAMA STOLE THE ELECTION!" and a resurgance in the tea-party in movement and yet another shift to the right for the already crazy Republican party...

One other "Prediction" If/When Obama wins... If Hillary steps down as Sec of State, expect her to run in 2016!

[Soontir C'boath]

A nice, light piece by Annabel Crabb on the US and Australian electoral systems. She's got two specials on ABC tonight about the US election which should be interesting viewing.

In Leon county, Florida, I got to play with an antique voting machine weighing one tonne, which was manufactured sometime just after VE Day and boasted a privacy curtain and a series of levers to register voter preference. It looked like a mediaeval Tardis, or some kind of industrial-era chastity device.

All very funny, until Leon county's supervisor of elections informed me that this very machine was still in use four years ago in New York.

Most of New York, incidentally, does use paper ballots, which are fed into computer vote-counting machines. But the machines then spit out paper receipts that are chopped into sections and manually totted up by the New York Police Department.

Hey, I actually like those old machines. The satisfaction of pulling the handle over was much better than feeding a scanner my ballot especially when at the time electronic voting fraud was a major concern.

Lever voting machine

[Broomstick]

Just as a reminder and/or tidbit of information, US ballots are long. We're not just voting for the President today but for a few dozen (at least) other offices plus other referendums/initiatives/other stuff. Last mid-term election I started a thread on what a US ballot looks like. Today's ballots will in most cases be even longer.

[Blayne]

I can defiantly see the appeal of older polling machines in the sane vein as enjoying those metal keyboards. They have a certain feel and noise to them.

Since I'm an idealistic nutter I'm going to spring for Obama carrying Florida, Virginia and Ohio. Polls close and the networks start counting the votes at 10~11ish PM eastern right?

[Soontir C'boath]

Yup, here's what I will be filling out full of people I do not know.

Warning PDF: Sample ballot

Due to district lines changing, I actually have a new State Senator and polling location. Nothing like confusion to add to an election with the Presidency on the line.

[General Zod]

Turns out that Tagg Romney does not own voting machines in Ohio. The GOP voter suppression effort is still a concern, though.

That was always silly. "I bought shares in your company, so you must commit electoral fraud for my dad."? Not plausible.

I am concerned about the software patches that Husted installed, though. Hopefully it's nothing.

Doesn't have to be plausible to be considered a conflict of interest. It's just embarrassing enough to damage Romney's image even more, and that's what really matters.

[Lagmonster]

Doesn't have to be plausible to be considered a conflict of interest. It's just embarrassing enough to damage Romney's image even more, and that's what really matters.

From a mercenary point of view, maybe, but if you insist on taking any non-story and spinning it to harm your opponent, you aren't really advocating a better breed of politics.

[Dalton]

I was so used to the switch and lever clunk voting booths. Today I filled out a scantron.

[Lonestar]

Some confusion about Erwin Rommel on Presidential Ballots

Confused WWII Veterans Demand To Know Why Rommel On Presidential Ballot
BY G-HAD ON NOVEMBER 6, 2012 · 1 COMMENT

BETHESDA, MD – A group of elderly World War II veterans at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center have written a letter to the Federal Election Commission asking them to explain the presence of German Field Marshal Erwin “Mitt” Rommel on this year’s election ballot.

“While we applaud the American people for their willingness to vote for a centenarian, particularly a decorated war hero who turns 121 this month, we have serious questions about Mr. Rommel’s eligibility to be president and precisely what his platform consists of.”

Rommel, popularly known as ‘The Desert Fox’, was a German commander in World War II and died in 1944. He has nothing in common with actual presidential candidate Mitt Romney, other than an obsession with Benghazi, Libya, and his universal healthcare program: Rommelcare.

The letter goes on to demand that Mr. Rommel produce a birth certificate showing his eligibility to serve as president, per Article II of the Constitution, as well as charges that he may have been involved in certain Nazi activities in the past, specifically the conquest of North Africa.

However, despite the strident tone of the letter, a series of interviews conducted by Duffel Blog reporters at Bethesda Naval Medical Center have revealed sharp divides in the pro- and anti-Rommel groups.
“All I’ve been hearing on the radio for the past six months is ‘Rommel this’ and ‘Rommel that’,” complained D-Day veteran Jackson Webb. “That magnificent bastard, people must have read his book!”

“Most people don’t know that eight out of our first nine presidents were not only born in a foreign country, but even swore allegiance to a foreign king, yet were allowed to take the oath of office,” said Ken Webster, a 92 years-young veteran of both Sicily and Anzio.

Alexander Ness, who fought in World War II, Korea and Vietnam and was strangely shot in the foot each time, chimed in that George Washington had even served as an officer in a foreign army, actions which should have automatically led to his citizenship being revoked.

“I don’t see why Rommel should be held to a higher standard than George Washington,” Ness added. “Plus anybody would be better than our current president.”
Anthony Laurito, who briefly served under General Patton before being hospitalized for a series of slap-induced concussions, said he wasn’t planning on voting for Rommel.

“My grandson was telling me Rommel wants to strengthen ties with ‘our traditional allies like Japan’. Doesn’t he know that Japan makes up just one part of what I like to call the ‘Axis of Evil’, like Iran, Iraq and North Korea? And all this talk about having less ships than we did in 1917? Maybe if he brought it up to present-day 1945 levels I would at least consider voting for him.”

“That’s why I’m voting for President Osama.”

[CaptJodan]

I would happily eat my hat if Florida goes to Obama, but the pessimist in me just doesn't think that prediction will hold true. But we'll see. Either way, 538 is reporting that it might be so close that it will initiate an automatic recount. I know it's likely Obama can win this without Florida, and I hope that remains true. I do not want to suffer through yet another Florida recount fiasco that actually matters to the outcome.

[Flagg]

What the fuck is Adolph Ghouliani doing on MSNBC? Does Joe suck his decrepid cock or something?

[JLTucker]

Since Obama is a piece of shit just like Romney, I wrote in Bernie Sanders.

[Crossroads Inc.]

Um... Are you being sarcastic or not? It is hard to tell here...

[JLTucker]

Um... Are you being sarcastic or not? It is hard to tell here...

No. My vote would still be a waste even if I did vote for Obama, though. My state will be red for a long time.

But perhaps I should clarify. Both candidates are pieces of shit, but Obama less so than Romney. At least Obama has issues and remains consistent, but that doesn't erase his deplorable qualities. I recognize his successes and his failures, but I can't vote for him again.

[Grandmaster Jogurt]

Since Obama is a piece of shit just like Romney, I wrote in Bernie Sanders.

Why not vote for someone actually running? I imagine you'd have issues with Johnson, but there are a lot of others to pick from. Did you have issues with all of them, too?

[Broomstick]

Don't know about Tucker's ballot, but on mine Johnson was the only choice other than Obama and Romney. In which case he'd be writing someone in anyway.

Regardless, it's his right to vote for whoever he wants, for whatever reason he has.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

According to the news the lines by the polling stations are stupidly long, I wonder how that will be reflected in voter turnout figures. Results will start coming through midnight GMT, any idea which way Ohio will go?

[Mr Bean]

According to the news the lines by the polling stations are stupidly long, I wonder how that will be reflected in voter turnout figures. Results will start coming through midnight GMT, any idea which way Ohio will go?

Early voting trended between 65% Obama to 90% Obama depending on the day and time. Polling lines in urban areas are around the building and down the street, luckily I live in a small population area at the moment so the lines are "only" an hour and thirty minutes long.

[Broomstick]

The newsmedia ALWAYS looks for long lines to report on. These are easy to find:

1) Look in densely populated areas (note the paucity of such lines in, say, rural Montana)
2) Look before 9 am, between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm, and after 5 pm so you can catch the rush of people voting before work, during lunch, or after work.
3) Look in areas with hotly contested contests, or which are vital to a particular race (such as Ohio)
4) Look in areas that have recently experienced various disruptions/disasters that can interfere with voting (see New Jersey, eastern seaboard, and parts of NYC this year)

One or more of the above will apply to any long line you see featured in a news report.

Myself, I went around 11 am, there were all of 10 people between voting/waiting to vote, and that's one of the longest lines I've seen at that polling place, which I've been going to for over 12 years. Personally, I'm thrilled to see a line, it means people give enough of a damn to actually vote. Nevermind the presidential election, I wanted to see that the person working as the county coroner actually has forensic experience rather than "I've been a village trustee, people like me!" as their chief asset.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

According to the news the lines by the polling stations are stupidly long, I wonder how that will be reflected in voter turnout figures. Results will start coming through midnight GMT, any idea which way Ohio will go?

Early voting trended between 65% Obama to 90% Obama depending on the day and time. Polling lines in urban areas are around the building and down the street, luckily I live in a small population area at the moment so the lines are "only" an hour and thirty minutes long.

Compared to four hours in Florida, I can see why that would be a relief. Personally I'm hoping Obama gets a second term; it was suggested that in 2016 our london mayor Boris Johnson could run for US president since he was actually born in New York

Yeah, my gf is put off from voting because of the length of the queues, she keeps telling me she wants to vote for Cthulhu. I can't tell if she's joking or not

[JLTucker]

Don't know about Tucker's ballot, but on mine Johnson was the only choice other than Obama and Romney. In which case he'd be writing someone in anyway.

Regardless, it's his right to vote for whoever he wants, for whatever reason he has.

My ballot only had Romney, Obama, and Write In.

I did have to show my ID before voting.

[CaptJodan]

Don't know about Tucker's ballot, but on mine Johnson was the only choice other than Obama and Romney. In which case he'd be writing someone in anyway.

Regardless, it's his right to vote for whoever he wants, for whatever reason he has.

My ballot only had Romney, Obama, and Write In.

I did have to show my ID before voting.

The write-in is understandable. The Florida ballot had a great deal more options.

[weemadando]

How the fuck do we let you still be a country?

1.5hrs queuing to vote? We've got compulsory voting and I have never waited for more than 15 minutes. Usually its only 1-5.