# Election Day \[Week\]\[Month\[s\]\] \[Year\] 2020 follow-along thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 3, 2020, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618 "2020-11-03T05:36:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 161
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3206 "2020-11-06T05:19:37Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > Like, if we assume everyone is going to be honest and non-partisan it would be okay but if one sneaky bastard can topple the whole thing You have to realize that it’s all hyper-partisan, not non-partisan. The parties are the ones that name the electors, should their candidate win. They choose the most loyal of soldiers for the role, to minimize the risk. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3207 "2020-11-06T05:20:24Z")
Wouldn’t it be ironic if those didn’t make it in by the deadline because of DeJoy’s USPS fuckery? Especially if they were 70% or more Trump, which I think is highly possible for ballots from Georgia military. Especially if they could’ve flipped the state and possibly the election ( not so much anymore but hypothetically at this moment ) ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3208 "2020-11-06T05:20:28Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > > [@solost](#): > > > > How does that compare to the most recent vote counts for trump? > > There was a set of 70,000 votes from Maricopa County earlier tonight which was 57.1% skewed to Trump. So Biden’s hanging on by the often said ‘razor-thin’ margin in AZ, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3209 "2020-11-06T05:23:05Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > He didn’t win 65-70% of the vote, he won 65-70% of the mail-in vote. Given that Trump encouraged his supporters _not_ to vote by mail, I don’t see why this is surprising. Here’s what was said: from **ann hedonia** : > I see a couple of large rural counties with Biden votes of around 65-70%, but those are BIG counties and I assume they are also home to lots of really hard core conservatives. He/She did not say it was of the mail in vote, just the vote in general. Someone in this thread already got on me for seeming pedantry but I know that if we were all more clear in the way we communicate we would all be a lot more understood and happy. Poor communication is probably at the heart of how this country became so divided. We all speak and write so lazily now that our points never get across and that leaves huge misunderstandings which lead to conflicts everywhere. This isn’t Facebook, it’s the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3210 "2020-11-06T05:35:38Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Faithless electors happen all the time. > > [There were seven in 2016, and three more had their votes invalidated by state laws.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faithless_electors_in_the_2016_United_States_presidential_election) > > Ron Paul ran for president three times with no success, but he finally received his first electoral vote in 2016. You are correct, of course. Sorry I wrote that very poorly. I wanted to try to communicate that IMO it’s possible in this election that a FE could result in something meaningful such as flipping the result. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3211 "2020-11-06T05:35:46Z")
Kudos to the photographer who framed this shot from Trump’s press conference this evening (Reuters photographer Carlos Barria). [![](https://compote.slate.com/images/5f6b658f-b856-4547-a227-a8e24b8103e0.jpeg) ](https://compote.slate.com/images/5f6b658f-b856-4547-a227-a8e24b8103e0.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3212 "2020-11-06T05:39:24Z")
That’s wonderful. 🙂 This made me happy tonight, too: > **[Trump campaign loses legal fights in Georgia and Michigan, vows Nevada lawsuit](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-nevada-trump/trump-campaign-loses-legal-fights-in-georgia-and-michigan-vows-nevada-lawsuit-idUSKBN27L1TR)** > > President Donald Trump's campaign lost court rulings in the closely contested states of Georgia and Michigan on Thursday, even as it vowed to bring a new lawsuit challenging what it called voting irregularities in Nevada. The courts are following a trend that indicates they want _evidence_ of voter fraud before ruling that there is, you know, voter fraud. I expect this is how most of Trump’s lawsuits will go. ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3213 "2020-11-06T05:39:56Z")
I have just saved that to use on Facebook and my blog tomorrow when it is finally over. I think I’ve decided on a headline, a call from Howard Cosell, who is old enough to remember him? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3214 "2020-11-06T05:43:01Z")
Me. (Gawd, that rug. ) ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3215 "2020-11-06T05:44:09Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > If one argues with math, they will lose _Mathematics is the language of the universe_ ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3216 "2020-11-06T05:44:35Z")
So … where do we stand here? Well, we’re playing the waiting game. Look, FiveThirtyEight doesn’t “call” elections, and even if we did, we’d probably be exceptionally conservative. But we’re expecting that at some point, Biden will surpass Trump in the vote count in both Georgia and Pennsylvania. When? We don’t know. Possibly in the wee hours of the morning here, but also possibly not. Not so helpful, I know. But we know from our years of covering elections that sometimes important things happen at 3 in the morning … and sometimes they don’t because some key player in the system has literally gone to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3217 "2020-11-06T05:45:10Z")
Chris Cuomo is starting to get punch-drunk from Election Groundhog Day: “It was actually yesterday that we spoke to Biden today.” [pause] “I guess that’s our reality now.” ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3218 "2020-11-06T05:46:26Z")
John King is the energizer bunny. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3219 "2020-11-06T05:46:45Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I think you may be responding to posts from an hour ago and not looking for an update to the conversation. Yeah… I know delayed posts don’t look too good but in a fast-moving thread like this I can’t keep up. You are not wrong. My attentive abilities are not powerful things. In more involved and sophisticated discussions good ideas can withstand the test of time; truths written centuries ago still hold. I’m not sure they entirely hold _here_ anymore as our attention spans move ever closer to TwitterBlinks. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3220 "2020-11-06T05:49:07Z")
It sounds like you think a faithless elector has to come from PA. A faithless elector can be any of the slate of electors from anywhere in the country (assuming their state has no law against it or a weak law against it that only does something like fine them but does not stop them). So, there would probably be over a hundred or more that could turn if they wanted to (I have not done the math so…ballpark). I know you don’t believe this will end with Biden at 270 and I agree it is not likely. But it certainly is not impossible or even very unlikely. It is just a little unlikely. It can happen. Really and truly it can (Biden only winning AZ + NV puts him right at 270). If Biden lands square on 270 then the faithless elector becomes a very, very serious and legitimate concern. I have no doubt whatsoever that republicans would start shopping for one if Biden is at 270. It is probably trivial to bribe/coerce one to do it. Only one turns and it goes to the House where Trump wins. If Biden gets a lot over 270 then a faithless elector is a lot harder to manage to turn the election since you’d need a lot more to manage it which would be really hard to pull off. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3221 "2020-11-06T05:49:11Z")
So what’s with Lindsey Graham groveling for $$$ on television, and now he’s got $500K to donate to Trump? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3222 "2020-11-06T05:52:41Z")
It’s not in character for Graham, but I would be amused if he said, “I’ll be writing you that check in two weeks, Donald.” ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3223 "2020-11-06T05:52:59Z")
Right, military numbers: In 2016, 7,788 members of the military voted by mail in Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. And PA are saying that 10,478 have been returned so far this year. In Georgia the number in 2016 was 5,203 but I cannot find anything for 2020. I have no idea how this constituency might vote. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3224 "2020-11-06T05:53:57Z")
Ok, I’m seeing on NPR/AP’s map that Biden is about [1,700 votes down in PA.](https://apps.npr.org/elections20-interactive/#/states/GA/P) It’s like I want to go to bed, but every time I think it’s time, numbers just get closer and then I realize my wine glass is empty and I’m like, “Ok, another half hour.” ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/3225 "2020-11-06T05:55:01Z")
Seen on Facebook (though reposted from Twitter): [https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/123984257\_10224508308273446\_6845816645635931179\_n.jpg?\_nc\_cat=106&ccb=2&\_nc\_sid=730e14&\_nc\_ohc=SnFWlaNOFLkAX-kshMl&\_nc\_ht=scontent-ort2-2.xx&oh=66497fbab1b60c6c2f155480bf8a5e09&oe=5FC9D477](https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/123984257_10224508308273446_6845816645635931179_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=2&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=SnFWlaNOFLkAX-kshMl&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-2.xx&oh=66497fbab1b60c6c2f155480bf8a5e09&oe=5FC9D477) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618.md?page=160) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618.md?page=162)