# A new idea for US Presidential elections **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 27, 2004, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-idea-for-us-presidential-elections/236681 "2004-03-27T03:56:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Hazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Hazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazel)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-idea-for-us-presidential-elections/236681/61 "2004-06-27T20:03:54Z")
> [@qts](#): > > I disagree. Quite apart from the observation that each and every vote can be called a deciding vote, in the last election in the UK there was a dead heat - the winner was decided by rolling a die - so each and every vote for the winner was definitely a deciding vote Wow, you actualy decided the winner by rolling a die? How amazingly sensible. I wish we Americans had that much sence. In Florida in 2000 the official result had Bush beating Gore by a 537 votes – out of approximately six million cast. I don’t think the official result was valid, but it was nonetheless offical. The rules did not allow anything to be done to set things right; we were stuck with the official result. In addititon to all the other problems with the FL election, the official result was a statistical tie. A statistical tie is said to have occurred when the margin between the first and second place finishers is less than the margin of error in the counting methods. Declaring an official winner on the basis of such a narrow margin is not statistically valid. At the time, scientist Stephen Jay Gould and mathmetician J.A. Paulos both pointed out that the results were a statistical tie. One or both suggested that the proper solution was to flip a coin. But no serious consideration was given to this idea. Many people seem to feel that the lesson of the 2000 election is that we need to either scrap the Electoral College or modify its winner-take-all aspect. I think an equally important lesson is that, when it comes to elections, we need better rules. We need a number of new rules. One needed rule would address the question of what is to be done when an election result is a statistical tie. Do we have a runoff election between the top two vote-getters, and hope that, with the smallfry out of the picture, a clear winner will emerge? Or do we flip a coin? Or what? ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-idea-for-us-presidential-elections/236681/62 "2004-06-27T20:07:34Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > I said I that is what underlies hers and every other left wing whackjob on this forums hatred of the EC, and I won’t be convinced otherwise. Untrue. I’m a left wing whackjob, and I support the EC. > [@](#): > > I’m _that_ convined of everyones dishonesty on the matter. Nope, you’re just a partisan player with a closed mind. ---
**Author:** ![2sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e47774/32.png) [@2sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2sense)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-idea-for-us-presidential-elections/236681/63 "2004-06-28T00:08:27Z")
> [@Zagadka](#): > > Untrue. I’m a left wing whackjob, and I support the EC. Why? Wouldn’t you agree the president should represent all Americans equally? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-idea-for-us-presidential-elections/236681/64 "2004-06-28T00:32:10Z")
**Moderator’s Notes:** This thread seems to have been bumped after several months. Please don’t do that. Also, it appears **Martin Hyde** got away with a few insults (e.g., “morons”) in this thread back when it was first going. That poster does not appear to have posted in a while; but if you ever come back: Don’t do that again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-idea-for-us-presidential-elections/236681.md?page=3)