USA Election Day, Hey

As of this post, in 12 days it's election day in the US of A.  

Tuesday November 6th, it's coming down to the long drawn out boring wire.  It's a photographic finish, the shutter is open and drawing in the specks and bits and motes of photons in its gaping maw.    

Wouldn't you know it, there are a number of elections going on that day.   Not just the presidential, but US Senate, US House, a number of gubernatorial and various state legislature, etc.

The big race is of course the presidential.    




In total, there are six people that could reach (hypothetically, theoretically, mathematically) the required 270 electoral votes, that is, get a majority in the electoral college (ECM).   Which ECM is procedurally and legally the only way to win the US presidency, it's said.   The magical date upon which the Electors meet and cast their ballots is on December 17th 2012.  The deadline of their receipt is December 26th 2012.    Which Congress counts on January 6th 2012, unless a law is passed otherwise to change it.

The two major candidates, one of which is highly expected to win, are Barack Obama (Democratic) and Mitt Romney (Republican).   There are likely few people that don't know those names and feel very strongly one way or the other.   Although in countries other than the US, there may be a lack of knowing those names.   And in other countries and the US, a general a lack of concern about  which clown takes over the circus. 

However, there are two other candidates with ballot access that could reach ECM.   These two are Gary Johnson (Libertarian) and Jill Stein (Green).

In addition, another two have ballot access and write-in status that could reach ECM.  These two are Virgil Goode (Constitution) and Rocky Anderson (Justice).


Vice presidentially, the names in order are Joe Biden, Paul Ryan, James Gray, Cheri Honkala, Jim Clymer and Luis Rodriguez.    Which has no real bearing one way or the other on anything election-wise, although some that are undecided may take such into account.


So what would happen if suddenly everyone went to the other four parties and ignored the two major ones?    It's not really worth discussing, because it's extremely unlikely to happen, to the point where nobody would even really seriously consider it possible. 

Pity.