Dumb way to decide an election


Note:  I have no horse in this race, although I did enjoy seeing the ballot that was initially discarded returned to the official count.  Until voters get smarter, or request a new ballot when they make a mistake, or we invent ballots that don't allow for people to cross out a filled-in circle and choose another one, this is the theatre the American electorate will have the opportunity to enjoy over and over and over again.

Okay, so only the first two minutes of this YouTube video are worth watching, up to the point where the cameras turn to capture the losing candidate's (family's) reaction.


Couple of observations:

(1) What is that weird screeching sound in the background while the laboriously artificial preparations for the drawing are underway?  Initially I thought the noise was coming from screwing the lids on or off old metal film canisters, but then when I saw these looked like typical 35-mm plastic film containers, I quickly decided it was Catherine Keener doing something to hypnotize the entire room, and no teacup spoons had been allowed in the chamber.
(2) The "mixing" of the canisters in the bowl leaves much to be desired.  If this was a magic trick, the magicians assistant could be told "make it look like you are mixing them, but make sure to keep the last canister added on the left of the bowl at the end of the mixing" so that the magician, sitting at her left, could reach in and pull out the canister closest to him.
(3) Why the artisan bowl and film canisters?  I realize you don't want something that appears high tech or electronic, because of the inevitable claims of rigging the system by the (bribed) programmer, but nothing is more low tech and random than a coin flip, especially one coin flipped 10 times, or ten coins flipped one time.  Again, I get concerns of any set-up being "gamed", but how about a pool of 100 coins coming straight off the production line at the Philadelphia or Denver mint (the Democrats could choose 50, the Republicans 50), all of which have been pre-flipped 1000 times prior to the event, with the 10 coins that came the closest to exactly 500 heads being selected (again, both sides could pull 5 of each) for the "final decision".
(4) The losing candidate's family's reactions are priceless, and not in a good way.  Horrible optics.  I realize the chance should be extended to both candidates to be in the room, but if you are one of the candidates, the wisest choice is, "Don't be in the room."  The Republican already won by choosing not to be there.  This is Virginia, right next to the D.C. Democratic stranglehold.  Do Democrats not have an advisor competent enough to convince their candidate to be thousands of miles away from a room in which a drawing will take place that will include cameras and press coverage?  Now a lawsuit to overturn this drawing and have another recount is going to be filed (if one wasn't going to be filed anyway) simply because your side looked pinched and awkward (and your offspring "oh well, that's the way the ball bounces" bizarre) on national television.

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