Journal pudge's Journal: NINETEEN VOTES 24
With 2.87 million votes counted, about 6,000 left to count, and county certification due Wednesday, the Washington race for governor is separated by 19 votes: 1,367,346 (Gregoire) to 1,367,365 (Rossi).
Of the 6,000 left, they are just about evenly split between counties favoring each candidate.
It seems entirely likely there will be a recount, because recount is automatic if the difference is less than 2,000. So unless the remaining ballots swing significantly toward one or the other tomorrow, which seems impossible, we will have a recount.
Stay tuned.
dang (Score:2)
Re:dang (Score:1)
Happens more than you think. Ivoted for Pert one year becuase a really hot girl talked me into vot... oh wait I get it.
waiting to exhale (Score:2)
Re:waiting to exhale (Score:2)
Re:waiting to exhale (Score:2)
Re:It's interesting (Score:2)
You are perfectly correct, but... (Score:1)
Re:You are perfectly correct, but... (Score:2)
Re:You are perfectly correct, but... (Score:2)
Regardless of who is certified the winner I have 99.9% confidence that they will indeed be the canidate who got the most votes.
(We also have a history of fairly clean elections in Washington)
Note that everyone accepted the very close results for the 2000 Senate race between Gorton and Cantwell.
Re:It's interesting (Score:2)
Second, there is no margin of error in a straight count. The margin of error only applies to statistical analysis, whereas a count is simple arithmetic.
Anyone who tries to claim there is a margin of error for a straight count is either an outright liar or very clueless. This goes for either party. Yes, when it comes to an election count, there will be errors made. However, no one can make a valid guess at what that error is.
Perhaps I am in error (Score:1)
Furthermore, the only true way of determining who really won or lost the race would be to repeat the entire count a number of times and statistically determine
Re:Perhaps I am in error (Score:2)
That's nonsense. An election is not a poll. The purpose is not to determine who people REALLY think should be elected. The purpose is to collect actual votes, and tally them as a
Re:Perhaps I am in error (Score:1)
Where the totals for each candidate are separated by only a few votes out of a million, they could equally simply have a gentlemans agreement to toss a coin, play battleships or arm wrestle to determine the winner. Where we differ, I think, is that you see the election as an agreement between the two opponents of a process to determine which one of them won. I think
Re:Perhaps I am in error (Score:2)
Yes, the person with the most votes, according to the following of the legal process. You must have some way of determining who has the most votes. Is this a proper vote, is that? Says who? It's all about the law.
Where the totals for each candidate are separated by only a few votes out of a million, they could equally simply have a gentlemans agreement to toss a coin, play battleships or arm wrestle to determine the winner.
J
To make it clear (Score:1)
My further point that, this being the case, it is randomness from human error that decides between candidates. Which is why I suggested that they could have a gentlemans agreement to flip a coin: it is as good a way as counting all the votes in very close races!
I guess I misinterpreted when you said "The purpose is to collect actual v
Re:To make it clear (Score:2)
You don't know that. It's speculative, unless you have actually done a comprehensive study of close elections with repeated vote counts to prove it.
[a coin flip] is as good a way as counting all the votes in very close races!
That's clearly false.
what about cases where a repeated vote count gives a different result?
What about it? You follow the law, and you pick a winner based on the resu
You seem to be getting annoyed (Score:1)
I said to begin with that my musings were speculative. But I do not think it is unlikely that a count of over 2 million votes will create more error just from genuine miscounting greater than 10 votes!
(19 votes being the difference you observed when I began this comment, therefore 10 votes swing from one candidate to the other would be enough to change the result.)
Do you really find that so unlikely, Pudge?? Do you think vote counters have an error rate of less than 5
Re:You seem to be getting annoyed (Score:2)
Do you think vote counters have an error rate of less than 5 in a million?
This demonstrates what I mean. You assume that because there is such an error rate, therefore the results within that error rate are as good as a tie. That's incorrect.
The legal process is what matters: counting up the votes as best we can according to the law, and picking the person who has the most. If some votes are missed, as usually happens, that's bad, and should be fixed. No doubt. But y
Last word on this subject (Score:1)
Please don't put words in my mouth Pudge. You might have to ban yourself from your own journal
The legal process is what matters: counting up the votes as best we can according to the law, and picking the person who has the most.
Re:Last word on this subject (Score:2)
That's a distinction without a difference, as evidenced by the fact that your proposed solution is to pick a winner at random.
Yet when I said you had it (above), you protested.
No, I did not.
where the vote is very close (within 20 votes say), the candidate "ahead" at this point is not an accurate predictor of the candidate with the most votes
Yes, i
Wow (Score:2)
While I hope Gregiore wins I don't think it is the end of the world either way.
The plus side for Rossi is hopefully he will kick some asses that are in desparate need of kicking even if I end up not liking some of the other things he might try to do.
Re:Wow (Score:2)
Re:Wow (Score:2)
Who knows he might even turn out to be a supprise like Lowry was. (IMHO Mike was the best Governor we've had since Evans)