Electoral College results guessing game

[RecycleMichael]

I can hear the "Romney stole the election" already.

If this video is real (and I question that), then something is really wrong.

Why would you not agree that Romney stole the election if this is true?

[DolfanBob]

The Democrats don't have any I.T. guy's?

Damn those Republican made in the U.S.A. polling machines!

[Oil Capital]

If this video is real (and I question that), then something is really wrong.

Why would you not agree that Romney stole the election if this is true?

I agree with your instinct that there is something fishy about that video and the accompanying text.  First, he doesn't even bother to tell us where this took place.  (We can guess from his name it is somewhere in central pennsylvania, but that's a big space and we don't really even know that.  So it is impossible to do any follow up.  Second, how did the story end?  Are we really supposed to believe this guy who recorded and posted a video just cast his ballot for the candidate to who he is opposed and went on with his day?

FWIW, there have been a number of reports of machines doing the same thing in the opposite direction as well.  One in particular (I think in Colorado) was investigated and they discovered some screens were unduly sensitive.

[Townsend]

If this video is real (and I question that), then something is really wrong.

Why would you not agree that Romney stole the election if this is true?

This was the guy's posting comments:

My wife and I went to the voting booths this morning before work. There were 4 older ladies running the show and 3 voting booths that are similar to a science fair project in how they fold up. They had an oval VOTE logo on top center and a cartridge slot on the left that the volunteers used to start your ballot.

I initially selected Obama but Romney was highlighted. I assumed it was being picky so I deselected Romney and tried Obama again, this time more carefully, and still got Romney. Being a software developer, I immediately went into troubleshoot mode. I first thought the calibration was off and tried selecting Jill Stein to actually highlight Obama. Nope. Jill Stein was selected just fine. Next I deselected her and started at the top of Romney's name and started tapping very closely together to find the 'active areas'. From the top of Romney's button down to the bottom of the black checkbox beside Obama's name was all active for Romney. From the bottom of that same checkbox to the bottom of the Obama button (basically a small white sliver) is what let me choose Obama. Stein's button was fine. All other buttons worked fine.

I asked the voters on either side of me if they had any problems and they reported they did not. I then called over a volunteer to have a look at it. She him hawed for a bit then calmly said "It's nothing to worry about, everything will be OK." and went back to what she was doing. I then recorded this video.

There is a lot of speculation that the footage is edited. I'm not a video guy, but if it's possible to prove whether a video has been altered or not, I will GLADLY provide the raw footage to anyone who is willing to do so. The jumping frames are a result of the shitty camera app on my Android phone, nothing more.

[Gaspar]

Perhaps some are voting for revenge?

[Hoss]

I agree with your instinct that there is something fishy about that video and the accompanying text.  First, he doesn't even bother to tell us where this took place.  (We can guess from his name it is somewhere in central pennsylvania, but that's a big space and we don't really even know that.  So it is impossible to do any follow up.  Second, how did the story end?  Are we really supposed to believe this guy who recorded and posted a video just cast his ballot for the candidate to who he is opposed and went on with his day?

FWIW, there have been a number of reports of machines doing the same thing in the opposite direction as well.  One in particular (I think in Colorado) was investigated and they discovered some screens were unduly sensitive.

This is why I HATE touch-screen voting.  I can't get my Android phone with a touch screen to do what I want.  How can you expect those things to work right?

[Gaspar]

Polling place in Philly.

[carltonplace]

Polling place in Philly.

Yikes...electioneering. They need to take that down.

[Oil Capital]

I may have missed the official noon deadline.  Oh well.

Romney 315
Obama  223

[erfalf]

Romney 311-227.

I wonder what the over-under on when the Presidential race will be finalized.

[erfalf]

And before you call me crazy, I present... Jim Cramer:

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/11/everyone-thinks-jim-cramers-election-prediction-crazy-pants-insane/58673/

[Gaspar]

President Obama was just photographed outside a Philadelphia polling place.

[erfalf]

Wife listens to pop radio stations (ie not news/talk) and she told me it is a forgone conclusion that Obama is going to win. It's over. Calling it for Obama. Is that really what everyone thinks? or what everyone wants to think?

Edit: Their reasoning was that Obama was running away with the early polling.

[nathanm]

Wife listens to pop radio stations (ie not news/talk) and she told me it is a forgone conclusion that Obama is going to win. It's over. Calling it for Obama. Is that really what everyone thinks? or what everyone wants to think?

Edit: Their reasoning was that Obama was running away with the early polling.

It is almost certain Obama will win. Even Rasmussen couldn't get Romney better than a tie in Ohio. +3 usually means a win, and that's where Obama sat in the average of final Ohio polls.

As far as stupid touch screen video goes, stupid video is stupid. You don't flip votes by miscalibrating the touch screen on individual machines, you flip votes by messing with the tabulator.

[Townsend]

you flip votes by messing with the tabulator.

Bow chicka wow wow