# Can the Democrats win the Alabama senate special election in December? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 13, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504 "2017-08-13T00:49:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 72
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2017, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1421 "2017-12-15T04:55:42Z")
“I have always been a friend of states’ rights, and a foe of states’ wrongs.” - Benjamin Butler ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2017, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1422 "2017-12-15T20:26:32Z")
> [@](#): > > **Can the Democrats win the Alabama senate special election in December?** It’s possible. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1423 "2017-12-16T15:34:26Z")
[Seriously](https://apnews.com/3b0a9aea0dce45a3b3f33065fc9d1919/Moore-tells-supporters-'battle-is-not-over'-in-Senate-race). > [@](#): > > Moore sent a fundraising email to supporters asking for contributions to his “election integrity fund’ so he could investigate reports of voter fraud. > > “I also wanted to let you know that this battle is NOT OVER!” he wrote. > [@](#): > > Moore told supporters that the race was “close” and some military and provisional ballots had yet to be counted. Those are expected to be counted next week. > > Moore said his campaign is collecting “numerous reported cases of voter fraud” to send to the secretary of state’s office. There better be a lot of 'em, because so far their error rate is 100%. > [@](#): > > [Secretary of State John] Merrill said his office has investigated reports of voting irregularities, but “we have not discovered any that have been proven factual in nature.” “Roy Moore: he doesn’t know the law, he doesn’t know how to ride a horse, and he doesn’t know when he’s lost.” ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1424 "2017-12-16T16:33:26Z")
But he knows when to hit people for money (most of whom are not likely to be wealthy). ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2017, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1425 "2017-12-17T05:11:07Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > But he knows when to hit people for money (most of whom are not likely to be wealthy). Hey, somebody’s gotta buy hay for Sassy. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2017, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1426 "2017-12-17T13:40:52Z")
Does it even matter if he concedes? I mean, yeah, it’s the honorable thing to do, but nothing is contingent on that, right? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2017, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1427 "2017-12-17T14:31:12Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Does it even matter if he concedes? I mean, yeah, it’s the honorable thing to do, but nothing is contingent on that, right? Nope. Concessions are legally meaningless. Someone who concedes can ultimately win and someone who doesn’t concede can still lose. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2017, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1428 "2017-12-17T14:36:44Z")
I saw this on CNN this morning and thought I would share. I laughed. [This is your state on Bannon.](https://twitter.com/Senate_Fund?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fmitch-mcconnell-aligned-super-pac-slams-steve-bannon-after-alabama-senate-loss-this-is-your-state-on-bannon%2Farticle%2F2643552) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1429 "2017-12-28T16:04:45Z")
[Roy Moore doubles down; files lawsuit to block Alabama Senate result](https://apnews.com/7c23d09eb6d4446a95c14e38ddaf2c65/Roy-Moore-files-lawsuit-to-block-Alabama-Senate-result). > [@](#): > > Moore asked a judge late Wednesday to issue a restraining order to stop the state’s canvassing board from certifying Doug Jones’ victory on Thursday. But Secretary of State John Merrill told The Associated Press that Moore’s action “is not going to delay certification and Doug Jones … will be sworn in by Vice President Pence on the third of January.” > > A spokesman for Jones called Moore’s action a “desperate attempt … to subvert the will of the people,” and said it “will not succeed.” > > “The election is over. It’s time to move on,” Sam Coleman wrote in an email. Not so, says Roy Moore: > [@](#): > > Moore’s attorney wrote in the wide-ranging complaint that he believed there were irregularities during the election, including that voters may have been brought in from other states. He attached a statement from a poll worker that she had noticed licenses from Georgia and North Carolina as people signed in to vote. > > The complaint also noted the higher-than-expected turnout in the race, particularly in Jefferson County, and said that Moore’s numbers were lower than straight-ticket Republican voting in about 20 Jefferson County precincts. The complaint asks for a fraud investigation and eventually a new election. > > “This is not a Republican or Democrat issue as election integrity should matter to everyone,” Moore said in a statement released Wednesday announcing the complaint. Someone is just giving the concept lip service, tho, because the Secretary of State (a Republican) says > [@](#): > > Merrill said he has so far not found any evidence of voter fraud, but he has said that his office will investigate any complaint Moore submits. Did Moore even submit a complaint, or did he move right to Step _n_, “File A Lawsuit”? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1430 "2017-12-28T16:18:17Z")
Ah, so the argument is “Alabamans always vote for The Party, therefore any votes not for The Party must be fraudulent!”. Lots of luck with that one, Roy. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1431 "2017-12-28T17:29:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Ah, so the argument is “Alabamans always vote for The Party, therefore any votes not for The Party must be fraudulent!”. > > Lots of luck with that one, Roy. and also : "A lot of damn uppity niggers voted, and we cant have that. " ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1432 "2017-12-28T18:25:22Z")
It could also be… “Holy shit, I don’t have a pension OR a job! If I don’t do this Senate thing, I will be broke!” ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1433 "2017-12-28T18:58:04Z")
It could also be… [rejected](https://apnews.com/7c23d09eb6d4446a95c14e38ddaf2c65/Judge-rejects-Roy-Moore's-suit-in-Alabama-Senate-race)! ETA: So to answer the OP: yes. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1434 "2017-12-28T19:35:16Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > and also : "A lot of damn uppity niggers voted, and we cant have that. " This. But another one of the arguments Moore is using is that mostly-white suburban areas didn’t go as Republican as they normally do. The argument is that the white vote is basically Moore’s, and if they didn’t vote for him there must be something hinky going on. So he’s not only racist against African-Americans, he’s racist against whites who don’t vote for their natural party, as well. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1435 "2017-12-28T20:31:58Z")
It also shows why a Polygraph test is so bogus. Moore passed his: > **[Moore says he took polygraph after election to confirm accusations were false](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/366650-moore-says-he-took-polygraph-test-after-election-to-confirm-accusations/)** > > Republican Roy Moore says he completed a lie detector test after the Alabama Senate election concluded to prove the allegations of sexual misconduct are untrue as he seeks to challenge&nb… How did Moore pass? \*\*First of all, I am certain that his accusers are not lying, they honestly beleive that is what occured. \*\* But in descending order: (more than one is possible) Moore had a “freindly test” and the results of any polygraph test is open to interpretation. Moore was coached on how to beat the test. Moore, being a Politician, lies easily and without guilt. Moore is a sociopath. Moore honestly remembers the incidents differently that his accusers do. Memory is a strange thing, and open to change. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1436 "2017-12-28T21:14:46Z")
In addition to the polygraph test (what, no tea leaves or goat entrails?) about the pedophilia accusations (which is relevant to the integrity of the election how, exactly?), [his complaint](https://www.scribd.com/document/367998949/Roy-Moore-Complaint) includes as supporting “evidence” (scroll down to “Document 2”) a Breitbart article, complete with several pages from the comment section. :smack: :eek: 😕 ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1437 "2017-12-28T21:23:39Z")
As I wrote in another thread: > [@](#): > > And here we see the truly pernicious, malevolent intent among some in that side of the contest: to plant the seed in their base that somehow it must be near impossible to have a contrary result, and thus to delegitimize the whole elections procedure. Even when it is the procedure enacted and managed by sympathetic legislatures and officials. > > It is a well established rule in most states that if the vote difference is larger than the expected margin of error of the vote tallying process, the result is to be presumed valid and final and any dispute must be supported by evidence, not by “it cannot be!” Otherwise no election would ever be final. > > You can imagine some of the same people come 2020 or 2024 arguing that statistically the reported count is near impossible and the Electors must ignore the certified popular tally and go with the “right” result. So Moore’s not seated but he leaves behind a door open for the claim that it should be impossible for the other side to win a fair contest. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1438 "2017-12-28T21:29:56Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It also shows why a Polygraph test is so bogus. Moore passed his: > > [http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/366650-moore-says-he-took-polygraph-test-after-election-to-confirm-accusations](http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/366650-moore-says-he-took-polygraph-test-after-election-to-confirm-accusations) > > How did Moore pass? > > \*\*First of all, I am certain that his accusers are not lying, they honestly beleive that is what occured. \*\* > > But in descending order: (more than one is possible) > Moore had a “freindly test” and the results of any polygraph test is open to interpretation. > Moore was coached on how to beat the test. > Moore, being a Politician, lies easily and without guilt. > Moore is a sociopath. > Moore honestly remembers the incidents differently that his accusers do. Memory is a strange thing, and open to change. Seeing as Moore hasn’t actually released any actual polygraph information (such as a list of questions he answered) all we really have is a liar’s word that he took a liar test that proved he’s not a liar. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1439 "2017-12-28T21:36:08Z")
Also, if he wanted to prove anything, why wait until AFTER the election? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504/1440 "2017-12-28T21:37:37Z")
I saw a very pertinent comment on this topic that somebody made. “Sexual predators don’t take no for an answer.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504.md?page=71) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democrats-win-the-alabama-senate-special-election-in-december/793504.md?page=73)