Recount or No Recount?

[Bruno]

From post on the other thread to discuss:

So...has anyone ever contested a straw poll result at the SRLC? Has it been protocol before? The post below from FreedomRings, if the 1,806 is factual and they don't change the numbers to add up to 1764 (which, if they did so, would be in of itself a recount or warrant one, lol. :) ) calls into question the whole vote.

Or is it better to just let it go and take 2nd place proudly due to how it "legitmizes" (through cheating, miscounting, and vote buying) the straw poll and take whatever press comes?


"1,806 ballots were cast by the conservative activists who attended the conference. No other candidate got more than four percent of the vote."
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20002208-503544.html

However, all the votes shown at http://www.w-r-s.com/blog/2010/04/10/srlc-2012-presidential-straw-poll-results/ only add up to 1764.

Newt Gingrich 18% (321)
Mike Huckabee 4% (80)
Gary Johnson 1% (3)
Sarah Palin 18% (330)
Ron Paul 24% (438)
Tim Pawlenty 3% (54)
Mike Pence 3% (58)
Mitt Romney 24% (439)
Rick Santorum 2% (41)

Additionally, there is reason to question the vote, ask for a recount, and to see the ballots. Its done all the time in elections. There could be an X that was a little off, on one of over a thousand ballots, that someone could have counted for Mitt or someone else that could have gone to Ron.

Asking for a recount is not conspiracy theory, it is practiced in dozens of close races every year from PTO meetings to the President of the United States, when the numbers are much father apart.

[bobbyw24]

That was my initial reaction when I heard we lost by ONE vote.

But the near-tie shows that more and more Republicans (even the ones who attended this non-libertarian event) are open to our message.

Our message will carry the day.

[UtahApocalypse]

CBS is NOT the official results,. I wish people would quit making excuses for US losing this. we had 40 people that decided NOT to show up until the last minute that missed registration. Not taking this serious is what lost this for us. No conspiracy, no vote fraud, not other excuse. WE FAILED to deliver because some people thought this was not that important to be on time or early.

[RM918]

There's no point. If we call for a recount of a straw poll, people will make fun of us. If it turns out we lost anyway, they'll make even more fun of us. If we won, they'll just ignore us.

[wgadget]

As I was dredging up the figures for the CPAC and SRLC polls, it was astonishing to note that both polls had 1,806 voters.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....Coincidence?

[TCE]

As I was dredging up the figures for the CPAC and SRLC polls, it was astonishing to note that both polls had 1,806 voters.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

Yeah, but we won one of them and lost by one vote in the other. So it really isn't a conspiracy.

[KramerDSP]

No Recount. We'll look like crybabies whining about a minor Straw Poll. This is HUGE news, even if we just "tied" Romney. HUGE.

[Bruno]

CBS is NOT the official results,. I wish people would quit making excuses for US losing this. we had 40 people that decided NOT to show up until the last minute that missed registration. Not taking this serious is what lost this for us. No conspiracy, no vote fraud, not other excuse. WE FAILED to deliver because some people thought this was not that important to be on time or early.


Forget the people who DIDN'T vote, I can see you are pissed about that, legitimately so. If one of those hungover people had made it earlier, then Ron would have tied. Two wake up earlier or take one less shot the night before, and he would have won. But that's over with. Every vote counts. That's the point. What we can do is recount the vote for the people who did vote for Ron but might have been counted.

[Bruno]

No Recount. We'll look like crybabies whining about a minor Straw Poll. This is HUGE news, even if we just "tied" Romney. HUGE.

I can certainly see that perspective, but only if it is reported does it help. Drudge say Mitt Won!, ignoring Ron purposefully on the front page.

[Agorism]

I want a recount.

I'm amazed so many people don't. We're talking about ONE VOTE.

Even if it was done fairly and honestly, you will still get ONE VOTE change on any recount.

[brandon]

There should always be a recount when a contest is that close... especially considering the discrepancy over the vote total.

But there's not really a chance we will get one.

[brandon]

CBS is NOT the official results,. I wish people would quit making excuses for US losing this. we had 40 people that decided NOT to show up until the last minute that missed registration. Not taking this serious is what lost this for us. No conspiracy, no vote fraud, not other excuse. WE FAILED to deliver because some people thought this was not that important to be on time or early.

Grab a large stack of paper (around 500-1500 pieces) and try counting how many pieces of paper are in the stack twice. I bet you don't get the same number both times.

There doesn't have to be a conspiracy or fraud....just simple innocent human error is very likely. Maybe the error was in our favor, maybe it wasn't. But there should always be a recount when something is that close.

[UtahApocalypse]

Grab a large stack of paper (around 500-1500 pieces) and try counting how many pieces of paper are in the stack twice. I bet you don't get the same number both times.

There doesn't have to be a conspiracy or fraud....just simple innocent human error is very likely. Maybe the error was in our favor, maybe it wasn't. But there should always be a recount when something is that close.

I would bet they did not have just ONE person doing the counting. Two or Three more likely. Remember there was a delay with the results. Most likely due to a second, or even third counting to verify that close. We had People there in New Orleans to vote that were getting shit faced instead. quit making excuses for us losing this. next time people need to grow the fuck up and take this stuff serious.

[MikeStanart]

There's no point. If we call for a recount of a straw poll, people will make fun of us. If it turns out we lost anyway, they'll make even more fun of us. If we won, they'll just ignore us.

EXACTLY!!!

Guys, lets take this 2nd place victory and move forward. If anything, a 2nd place finish actually gives the straw poll more legitimacy; which could possibly cause people to actually take more notice.

[Agorism]

If the vote is close= we lose?

I'm not saying the vote was rigged or that ballots weren't counted, but you never know.

Say we had 2 more votes in this thing. Would we still have lost by a vote or so?

At least with CPAC it was a relative landslide.

[Bruno]

EXACTLY!!!

Guys, lets take this 2nd place victory and move forward. If anything, a 2nd place finish actually gives the straw poll more legitimacy; which could possibly cause people to actually take more notice.

I don't disagree with the move forward part, and I still think 2nd place, (though due to all the other shenanigans) is great.

But since the vote has already been legitimized by Mitt's win, would it then be delegitimized by a recount and a subsequent Ron Paul win?

[RM918]

I don't disagree with the move forward part, and I still think 2nd place, (though due to all the other shenanigans) is great.

But since the vote has already been legitimized by Mitt's win, would it then be delegitimized by a recount and a subsequent Ron Paul win?

It'd take a year, and then ignored when the truth comes out. Wasn't there a whole state primary Ron actually won that they treated in that exact manner, and hardly anyone knows about it due to the burying?

[Bruno]

It'd take a year, and then ignored when the truth comes out. Wasn't there a whole state primary Ron actually won that they treated in that exact manner, and hardly anyone knows about it due to the burying?

If it took only a few hours to count the votes, it shouldn't take more than a few more to recount, though I tend to agree with you that it would be ignored.

Perhaps this is not the 2nd best outcome, but rather the 1st best. No recount has won by a 2 to 1 margin

[Paulatized]

CBS is NOT the official results,. I wish people would quit making excuses for US losing this. we had 40 people that decided NOT to show up until the last minute that missed registration. Not taking this serious is what lost this for us. No conspiracy, no vote fraud, not other excuse. WE FAILED to deliver because some people thought this was not that important to be on time or early.

This. It was right there for the taking. I feel like we let Ron Paul down.