PSA: Elections have never been decided on election night

[Deuce]

It has never worked this way. Counting ballots has always taken weeks. Certification has always taken weeks.

“Americans should know the results on election night” is an invalid argument.

Elections are called on election night *by the media*


Another PSA:

Mail-in ballots cannot flip an election.

 

[The Mark]

It has never worked this way. Counting ballots has always taken weeks. Certification has always taken weeks.

“Americans should know the results on election night” is an invalid argument.

Elections are called on election night *by the media*


Another PSA:

Mail-in ballots cannot flip an election.

This election is an outlier because the pandemic has caused a vast increase in mail-in ballots.

In this election, it's entirely possible that they could flip an election.

Assuming more of them are for one candidate or another.

 

[EnigmaO01]

Another PSA:

Mail-in ballots cannot flip an election.

We've never had the number of Mail-in ballots as this time around. I would not be so sure.

 

[Deuce]

We've never had the number of Mail-in ballots as this time around. I would not be so sure.

Mail in ballots cannot flip an election for the same reason that in person votes cannot flip an election.

They’re just votes. You have to count all of them to determine the winner.

 

[The Mark]

Mail in ballots cannot flip an election for the same reason that in person votes cannot flip an election.

They’re just votes. You have to count all of them to determine the winner.

That is a valid point.

 

[EnigmaO01]

Mail in ballots cannot flip an election for the same reason that in person votes cannot flip an election.

They’re just votes. You have to count all of them to determine the winner.

Wut?!

 

[Deuce]

Wut?!

If 5000 in person votes are for Trump, and 6000 mail-in ballots are for Biden, then Biden is the winner and was always the winner. Nothing flipped.

 

[The Mark]

Wut?!

He's saying votes can't flip an election if we count them all correctly, because despite the impression the time it takes to count votes give, whoever the finally determined winner is was always the winner.

 

[Deuce]

Put another way: Imagine I counted the very first vote and it was for Biden, and declared Biden the winner.

Then I count the next two votes. Both are Trump. I then declare the election was flipped for Trump.

There’s still a thousand votes left to count.

You’d think I’m a moron, right?

That’s how I feel about people talking about absentee ballots “flipping” an election.

 

[The Mark]

Put another way: Imagine I counted the very first vote and it was for Biden, and declared Biden the winner.

Then I count the next two votes. Both are Trump. I then declare the election was flipped for Trump.

There’s still a thousand votes left to count.

You’d think I’m a moron, right?

That’s how I feel about people talking about absentee ballots “flipping” an election.

With how we can have live updated vote counts these days, it gives people an impression of flipping even if that impression is a lie.

Maybe there should be a law that states are not allowed to release vote counts until they are all counted.

 

[Taylor]

You have to count all of them to determine the winner.

No you don't. This is elementary school math.

 

[The Mark]

No you don't. This is elementary school math.

You should count them all, but if you have 5k votes left to count and one candidate is ahead by more than 5k, you already know they won.

 

[Deuce]

No you don't. This is elementary school math.

Irrelevant tangent.

Absentee ballots are just as valid as in-person votes and you can’t treat them as some separate category that “flips” an election.

 

[Taylor]

You should count them all, but if you have 5k votes left to count and one candidate is ahead by more than 5k, you already know they won.

It's 270 to win. By no means do you need to "count all the votes" to get there.

 

[The Mark]

It's 270 to win. By no means do you need to "count all the votes" to get there.

But you still should.

 

[Taylor]

But you still should.

Sure, but for reasons that have nothing to do with deciding the election.

 

[EnigmaO01]

Put another way: Imagine I counted the very first vote and it was for Biden, and declared Biden the winner.

Then I count the next two votes. Both are Trump. I then declare the election was flipped for Trump.

There’s still a thousand votes left to count.

You’d think I’m a moron, right?

That’s how I feel about people talking about absentee ballots “flipping” an election.

No I'm the moron. I didn't get your point but now I do.