McCain Camp Protesting News "Calling" State Winner

[DarthKTrava]

They discussed that tonight on one of the channels. They go by their exit polling. If it shows an overwelming lead for one candidate, they call it immediately after the polls close. They also compare their polling to actual votes counted to see if it's valid.

I've never seen exit polling where I vote. Guess my precinct doesn't matter for exit polls...

 

[gottaluvPluto]

If the polls closed at 8, what's the problem?

You can't get in line after 8, but if you are in line before 8 you can still vote (line might be long). One of the past two elections, Fox News called Florida for the dems. They forgot about the Panhandle and the time difference, so when people heard that Florida went Dem. People got out of line and went home. However, the media called Florida too early and it didn't go dem. So it can cause a problem.

 

[Master Mason]

Earth to the McCain camp, this is the way it works and has always been done.

Always??? Maybe always in your life time if your young, but most certainly not always in mine.

 

[Suzie Zoo]

According to a commentary on FOX, the McCain camp was protesting that FOX News (and other news sources) were "calling" Pennsylvania a "win" for Obama so early in the results.

Fox called it too.....does the McCain camp know that?

Ummm...

 

[mickey2000]

They are using some weird mix of exit polling & voodo mystical interpretation.

They just can't stand to wait; but we won't know for sure until morning...
remember Truman with the Dewey wins newspaper?

 

[TnTsParty]

I've never seen exit polling where I vote. Guess my precinct doesn't matter for exit polls...

I guess mine doesn't either because I have NEVER seen exit polls nor have I been asked who I voted for when I have voted.

 

[Uncle Remus]

 

[amyhughes]

Thing is I don't think I would tell a media outlet who I voted for. Even if they did ask.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

And with 9% of precincts reporting, they're "calling" Ohio for Obama....

Remember four years ago, when they "called" Ohio for Kerry? What a mess that created when Bush actually won it.

 

[LisaR]

Always??? Maybe always in your life time if your young, but most certainly not always in mine.

I am not the poster you were quoting but they have been doing this for a very long time and I am in my 40's. I don't like it one bit. I thought they learned their lesson in 2000 but apparently not. I hope I don't wake up to different results in the morning like I did in 2000.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

If they start calling the BIG states early then those that are still voting in other states might not feel that they need to vote at all since Obama has it in the bag with that win. DH hadn't voted yet thanks to working late, his comment was I don't know why I'm bothering according to the news Obama has already won it.

Didn't the news do that in the Reagen/Dukakis contest?
Reagen was winning every state before the west coast polls closed
so the people there didn't feel the need to vote. I thought they weren't now allowed to the announce the winner until all the polls closed.

 

[DarthKTrava]

Didn't the news do that in the Reagen/Dukakis contest?
Reagen was winning every state before the west coast polls closed
so the people there didn't feel the need to vote. I thought they weren't now allowed to the announce the winner until all the polls closed.

I don't call them official winners until whoever it is that makes it official makes that call.... (not including the Electoral College)

 

[mybabesuz]

It's just making me soooooo mad!!!!

Not to mention that my vote counts for nothing...
They really need to get rid of the Electoral Votes System...

 

[sha_lyn]

I don't blame him... and I think that anyone who cares about the integrity of the voting process should agree.

ITA.... I don't believe any calls/predictions/release of exit polls etc should be allowed until all the polls close in the country.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

It just baffles me - all the races in NH have been called already, most with less than 30% reporting What about the other 70%? I think I'll wait til morning to believe it all.

 

[LakeAriel]

Were their projections wrong? I think not..This will be over by 11...!

 

[DarthKTrava]

It's just making me soooooo mad!!!!

Not to mention that my vote counts for nothing...
They really need to get rid of the Electoral Votes System...

I guess the theory (someone correct me if I'm wrong) is that the electoral votes are supposed to go in line with how the popular vote in a particular state goes...

 

[DarthKTrava]

It just baffles me - all the races in NH have been called already, most with less than 30% reporting What about the other 70%? I think I'll wait til morning to believe it all.

I would go along with this line of reasoning.

 

[ntsammy5]

They really need to get rid of the Electoral Votes System...

You do of course realize this was set forth in Article II Section 1 of the Constitution - not even an Amendment but one of the original seven articles. The only way to change it would be a Constitutional Amendment, something which is very, very hard to do.

Article. II. - The Executive Branch Note
Section 1 - The President

The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice-President chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows:

Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

(The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not lie an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; a quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two-thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice-President.) (This clause in parentheses was superseded by the 12th Amendment.)

The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.

No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

(In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected.) (This clause in parentheses has been modified by the 20th and 25th Amendments.)

The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.

Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

 

[ntsammy5]

Have none of you ever taken staistics courses? Have you never watched an election return before? Obviously not if you think this is different from reporting in any other election over the last 30-40 years.