Don't they have to have an exact count before electors can be elected?

[skjpm]

I mean, doesn't there have to be an official count of all the votes, and a resolution of all the discrepancies before a state can announce its electors are elected? They can't just "guesstimate" can they? There has to be an actual number of votes, right? If Ohio can't produce an exact count, due to any number of reasons, wouldn't that nullify it's election?

[NMDemDist2]

1. not really, there are millions of "spoiled" votes every election

google Greg Palast and "spoiled vote" for a good article

[skjpm]

2. Yes, many votes are thrown out, I know

But, ultimately, they have to come up with an exact number of valid votes. And if they can't do that, wouldn't that nullify the election?

[NMDemDist2]

3. they'll come up with a number, never fear. It's called CYA n/t

[skjpm]

4. And won't we have access to how they arrived at that number?

Won't we know all the e-votes, and be able to compare them to the registrations of the voters? Won't they have to break down the number into counties and type of ballot? And wouldn't this give us what we need to talk about fraud?

[mikehiggins]

5. Yes, they can guesstimate, especially now that one Party

has capitulated.

Why waste the taxpayers money on pointless recounts?

[skjpm]

6. But if we ask, don't they have to provide proof of the votes?

They can't just call the election until all valid votes are actually counted. And they have to have a legal way of determining valid votes. And we have a right to know what votes they counted and why, and how they handled the discrepencies. The electors aren't legal until the election is legal.

[Silverhair]

11. Wrong. The Constitution says...

that each state legislature shall certify a board of electors. It does not say how. In theory, Party Z could win 90% of the vote, and the legislature could still sent electors for Patry A to the college.

[PatsFan2004]

7. They have legal procedures to follow with the counts.

Provisional ballots are only counted if they would change the winner. Otherwise, by law in many states they are completely ignored. In Ohio, a governor's race was decided by the provisional ballots. Apparently, there may not be enough provisional ballots to make a difference in Ohio and other states.

[Yupster]

8. There doesn't even have to be a vote

before a state announces its electors.

The state legislature ca just name them and skip the whole people's vote election day thing.

South Carolina didn't have a vote for president for 70 years.

[Bridget Burke]

9. Didn't Katherine Harris "certify" the Florida vote in 2000?

The official number is what's on the piece of paper signed by an important person.

Even in the "old days", it was an estimate--yes, a "guesstimate". With electronic voting--we must have even more faith. Sure.

[Silverhair]

10. No. Each state gets to make it's own rules. NT