(12-21-2017 12:27 PM)dawgitall Wrote:  They threw out a ballot that had both candidates filled in with a mark threw one of the candidates name. Then a judge ruled that the ballot should be counted, thus the tie. The judge evidently can read minds.

But for judges ability to read minds Al Franken would never have become a Senator.

(12-21-2017 12:50 PM)dawgitall Wrote:  

(12-21-2017 12:38 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(12-21-2017 12:27 PM)dawgitall Wrote:  They threw out a ballot that had both candidates filled in with a mark threw one of the candidates name. Then a judge ruled that the ballot should be counted, thus the tie. The judge evidently can read minds.

It was sort of a "make-up call" for the 11 votes the other candidate made somewhat similarly. They were also tallied on a whiteboard for the hand count (some 23k total votes) and there is really no guarantee there is no human error in that process (even a single vote error would have swung it). Frankly, if another vote cannot be conducted, the coin-flip is probably appropriate.

Was all the 10 vote swing from contested ballots or was some / all of it from an incorrect count? Also what is the ratio on the county election board?

He challenged multiple ballots that were ruled votes for her as well as this one that was thrown out. The judges decided to count all of them. No idea what the ratio is or how that works, but the city itself generally votes about 60/40 democrat. This district is a reddish enclave in a blue city. I have no idea who was on the 3-judge panel and cannot find that info on any story. If I can find out who was on the panel, I can probably tell you their political leanings. My dad is an attorney in town and knows all of them.

(12-21-2017 12:41 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(12-21-2017 12:35 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Why don’t they go through the voter logs and see if any votes came from people who are dead, are not citizens, have no right to vote or who have residence in another state. Maybe just limit it to absentee ballots which are easily connected.

Betcha that would have broken the tie.

Is VA a voting ID state?

Yes, we have to show ID to vote. It is also a middle to upper-middle class district with no slums that would play to shennanigans. I highly doubt there is any fraud.

You don’t think anyone who voted in that district should not have been allowed to vote for whatever reason? Not a single one? Balderdash.

I’d go through every absentee ballot and I can guarantee you there are problems. There are in any election in any district.

(12-21-2017 12:49 PM)Bull_Is_Back Wrote:  

(12-21-2017 12:42 PM)dawgitall Wrote:  A voter can ask for a new ballot, but did not. Both names are marked.

No doubt he should have but were the roles reversed I don't think for a second you would consider this some great injustice.

Quote:It is a judgement call.

Made by a judge, as it should have been.

And, btw, slippery slope is a fallacy in this instance.

Its not anything like the ridiculous process Minnesota went through to put Franken in office.

(12-21-2017 01:06 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(12-21-2017 12:50 PM)dawgitall Wrote:  

(12-21-2017 12:38 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(12-21-2017 12:27 PM)dawgitall Wrote:  They threw out a ballot that had both candidates filled in with a mark threw one of the candidates name. Then a judge ruled that the ballot should be counted, thus the tie. The judge evidently can read minds.

It was sort of a "make-up call" for the 11 votes the other candidate made somewhat similarly. They were also tallied on a whiteboard for the hand count (some 23k total votes) and there is really no guarantee there is no human error in that process (even a single vote error would have swung it). Frankly, if another vote cannot be conducted, the coin-flip is probably appropriate.

Was all the 10 vote swing from contested ballots or was some / all of it from an incorrect count? Also what is the ratio on the county election board?

He challenged multiple ballots that were ruled votes for her as well as this one that was thrown out. The judges decided to count all of them. No idea what the ratio is or how that works, but the city itself generally votes about 60/40 democrat. This district is a reddish enclave in a blue city. I have no idea who was on the 3-judge panel and cannot find that info on any story. If I can find out who was on the panel, I can probably tell you their political leanings. My dad is an attorney in town and knows all of them.

I don't know Virginia law but often this is a County Board of Elections with three appointed members. Here in NC whichever party the governor is has 2 and the other party 1. More often than not the members of the board take a lot of criticism, but from their own party not the opposition party. Their party always wants them to favor them when they have taken an oath to be nonpartisan.

(12-21-2017 12:08 PM)Niner National Wrote:  Seems like a bad method. Can't we have some kind of a test on state law, or better yet, a duel?

lmao....Burr–Hamilton style wins my vote....

it's too funny how things were resolved back in the day.....

now it's the 78 misnomers that classify as x or y.....

it's really funny when you compare/contrast to what was once the wild west in a more recent time span vs. what that place has become....

(12-21-2017 01:31 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  

(12-21-2017 12:41 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(12-21-2017 12:35 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Why don’t they go through the voter logs and see if any votes came from people who are dead, are not citizens, have no right to vote or who have residence in another state. Maybe just limit it to absentee ballots which are easily connected.

Betcha that would have broken the tie.

Is VA a voting ID state?

Yes, we have to show ID to vote. It is also a middle to upper-middle class district with no slums that would play to shennanigans. I highly doubt there is any fraud.

You don’t think anyone who voted in that district should not have been allowed to vote for whatever reason? Not a single one? Balderdash.

I’d go through every absentee ballot and I can guarantee you there are problems. There are in any election in any district.

#balderdash

there's one I didn't think I'd hear after spritzing ze skull cap this a.m.

(12-21-2017 12:35 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Why don’t they go through the voter logs and see if any votes came from people who are dead, are not citizens, have no right to vote or who have residence in another state. Maybe just limit it to absentee ballots which are easily connected.

Betcha that would have broken the tie.

Is VA a voting ID state?

last night in some other thread (and in the usual stupor) I gave a play by play acct of our last two mayoral races.....

if you didn't catch it, it shouldn't be hard to guess what happened in the last one...

the dippos are clinging by a mere thread at this point....

if the 'sip can figure it out.......well, 'nuf said....

(12-21-2017 12:27 PM)dawgitall Wrote:  They threw out a ballot that had both candidates filled in with a mark threw one of the candidates name. Then a judge ruled that the ballot should be counted, thus the tie. The judge evidently can read minds.

Apparently so can you. Maybe you and the judge should go out on tour.

(12-21-2017 05:44 PM)DefCONNOne Wrote:  

(12-21-2017 12:27 PM)dawgitall Wrote:  They threw out a ballot that had both candidates filled in with a mark threw one of the candidates name. Then a judge ruled that the ballot should be counted, thus the tie. The judge evidently can read minds.

Apparently so can you. Maybe you and the judge should go out on tour.

You need to think that one through a little better. The judge decided that he knew the intent of the voter and thus the ballot should be allowed in. Previously the board of elections ruled that the intent of the voter couldn't be determined and didn't allow it in. My opinion was that that the intent couldn't be determined, thus I can't read minds.

It is a judgement call by the judge. He reasoned that this voter had voted for three Republicans and no Democrats so his intent was to vote once again for the Republican. Huge numbers of voters do not vote straight party, though they might favor one parties candidates most of the time. It just doesn't seem to me that 3 races is enough to predict (read the mind) intent. I think it shouldn't have been counted (so did the board of elections), but it was appealed and the judge disagreed.

Others have pointed out that the Democrat's circle also has a mark through so it indicates that the intent was to vote for the Republican. However if you look at other votes on the ballot, (remember the judge determined voter intent based on other votes on the ballot) the Republican candidate for governor has a mark through his circle similar to the mark that the Democrat in question has. So it isn't clear what the mark through means to the voter.

It is certainly a tough call. It is so important to count every vote you can. It can be argued either way.

(12-21-2017 12:36 PM)Bull_Is_Back Wrote:  

(12-21-2017 12:27 PM)dawgitall Wrote:  They threw out a ballot that had both candidates filled in with a mark threw one of the candidates name. Then a judge ruled that the ballot should be counted, thus the tie. The judge evidently can read minds.

Hmmm voted for ever R on the ballot and put a line through the D that they had accidentally filled in.

You don't really need to read minds to understand the intent.

Yeah, this doesnt seem like rocket science to me. Pretty straight foward.

(12-22-2017 09:50 PM)VA49er Wrote:  

(12-21-2017 12:36 PM)Bull_Is_Back Wrote:  

(12-21-2017 12:27 PM)dawgitall Wrote:  They threw out a ballot that had both candidates filled in with a mark threw one of the candidates name. Then a judge ruled that the ballot should be counted, thus the tie. The judge evidently can read minds.

Hmmm voted for ever R on the ballot and put a line through the D that they had accidentally filled in.

You don't really need to read minds to understand the intent.

Yeah, this doesnt seem like rocket science to me. Pretty straight foward.

Well they all agreed on all the ballots and Rs and Ds went home. The next day an R suddenly reintroduced this ballot that they had already agreed on and got it changed. The Ds had they known that this was going to occur certainly could have pulled out one or more ballots that they had agreed on the day before and reintroduce them. I wouldn't be surprised if further court action occurs before the drawing of lots on Wednesday.