# Obama gets elected, but Romney beats him in the popular vote - what happens? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 12, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-gets-elected-but-romney-beats-him-in-the-popular-vote-what-happens/637551 "2012-10-12T19:41:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 40
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-gets-elected-but-romney-beats-him-in-the-popular-vote-what-happens/637551/40 "2012-10-14T08:18:47Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > As for how Chavez rigged the election: > > Chávez used unlimited state resources to explicitly engage in his re-election campaign. For example, state television stations broadcast pro-Chávez propaganda, and government buildings display as much too. > > Capriles was limited to media appearances of three minutes per day, while Chávez appeared for hours at a time on all television stations as required by law. > [@Could Montana get the court to reconsider Citizens United?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-montana-get-the-court-to-reconsider-citizens-united/624699/431): > > One other thing I think needs to be addressed, the argument that because some people have greater ability to spread their message than others, that it should be restricted in the name of fairness. > > First, it’s not fair. There are many entities and individuals who can spread their message far and wide. If we limit the ability of some people who are capable of this while continuing to allow other people who are already doing it to continue to do so, then that is not fair, nor is it equal. Is Oprah Winfrey entitled to more privileges than the Kochs? Does Michael Moore have special rights that George Soros does not? Besides, the Carter centre concluded state owned television had a 5.4% market share. > [@](#): > > The voter registry included irregularities or was at least questionable. From 2003 to 2012 the number of voters registered increased from about 12 million to almost 19 million even though the population grew by only a few million during that time. 14 of 24 states in Venezuela have more registered voters than those eligible to vote. There are thousands of registered voters between the ages of 111 and 129. The Carter Centre concluded that 97% of the eligible voting population were on the rolls and there were equal numbers of opposition and supporting voters on the rolls. Voting ballots were printed in such a way that many people who thought they were voting for Capriles had their votes counted as being cast for a third candidate. Dead voters represented 0.3% of the rolls. MUD found that changes to the voter rolls were in line both with population growth and the high percentage of voters registered was in line with other Latin American countries. > [@](#): > > Government spending increased by 30% over the past year; 8 million people are directly dependent in some way on government for their income or to receive handouts. and the rich depend on the government not to redistribute wealth and to enforce contract law. > [@](#): > > Chávez closed the consulate in Miami, home to thousands of likely Capriles supporters, forcing them to vote at the consulate in New Orleans or become disenfranchised. [They’re not disenfranchised](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15312913&postcount=1838). --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-gets-elected-but-romney-beats-him-in-the-popular-vote-what-happens/637551)._