# What's stopping electoral college rigging? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 23, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-stopping-electoral-college-rigging/635558 "2012-09-23T01:43:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-stopping-electoral-college-rigging/635558/21 "2012-09-24T17:39:08Z")
> [@anson2995](#): > > You think folks in Oregon are going to change their vote once they find out how folks in Alabama voted? Not “change” so much as depress. I’ve no idea how valid it was, but there was a theory that the early call for Florida (for Gore) in 2000 depressed Republican voting in the western states since it seemed unlikely for Bush to win. I’m not saying I _agree_, mind you. Just explaining the theory. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-stopping-electoral-college-rigging/635558/22 "2012-09-24T18:23:28Z")
> [@anson2995](#): > > You think folks in Oregon are going to change their vote once they find out how folks in Alabama voted? > > People want to know what happened as soon as possible, especially in the intenet age. Nobody wants to wait until the polls close in Hawaii (2am east coast time). That’d be as crazy as tape-delaying Olympic events. The problem is more one of voter turnout. People are often motivated to vote by the President being on the ballot, but they are also voting for senators, governors, state legislators, mayors, water districts, bond measures, etc. If people decide that the President has already been elected, so there’s no reason to vote, then they’re not having input on the local issues where their vote is still relevant. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-stopping-electoral-college-rigging/635558/23 "2012-09-24T20:01:07Z")
You might even be able to do it without the legislature getting involved. All you have to do is have the board of elections declare that the opposing candidate is ineligible to appear on the ballot,[like they tried to do with Obama in Arizona](http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/05/barack-obama-birth-certificate-arizona-ballot-ken-bennett-/1#.UGC69qMWLaohttp://). ---
**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:** [September 25, 2012, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-stopping-electoral-college-rigging/635558/24 "2012-09-25T02:35:41Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > …The governor licked his chops as he signed it and said, “Well this will guarantee the state for Romney”. The Supreme Court thinks this kind of law is just fine. It was actually the Penna. House Majority Leader who said that, and the Penna. Supreme Court doesn’t seem to think that at all. [http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/06/pennsylvania\_gop\_leader\_voter\_id\_will\_help\_romney.php](http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/06/pennsylvania_gop_leader_voter_id_will_help_romney.php) > **[Pennsylvania Voter ID Law Shaky As State Efforts Go On Trial](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pennsylvania-voter-id-court-case_n_1910970?utm_hp_ref=elections-2012)** > > Pennsylvania Voter ID Law Shaky As State Efforts Go On Trial [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-stopping-electoral-college-rigging/635558.md?page=1)