Rigged Elections for Romney? By Michael Collins

RonRules

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http://www.opednews.com/articles/Rigged-Elections-for-Romne-by-Michael-Collins-121022-13.html

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A group of independent researchers caught a pattern of apparent vote flipping during the 2012 Republican primaries that consistently favored Mitt Romney. A form of election fraud, vote flipping occurs when votes are changed from one candidate to another or several others during electronic voting and vote tabulation.

Vote flipping is difficult to detect because the vote totals remain the same for each precinct. In one of several possible scenarios, an instruction is given to a precinct level voting machine or to a county-level central tabulator. The corrupted totals from precincts are sent from county election officials to state elections board and published as final results. (Primary documents for this article: Republican Primary Election 2012 Results: Amazing Statistical Anomalies, August 13, 2012 and 2008/2012 Election Anomalies, Results, Analysis and Concerns, September 2012).

The group's analysis is based on raw data from primary sources, local precincts, and state and county election records. The pattern of vote flipping raises serious doubts about the Romney victories in the 2012 Republican primaries in Wisconsin and the Ohio. Apparent vote flipping was demonstrated in the group's paper for at least nine other 2012 Republican primaries as well.

The findings showed a consistent pattern of increasing votes and vote percentages for Romney in the precinct vote tally. The pattern emerges when precinct vote tallies are presented by candidate based on the size of a county precinct.

Wisconsin, for example, is represented in the graph below. Moving from the smallest to largest precincts, you can see Romney's percent of the vote takes off and those of the others drop after about 7% of the votes are counted. Romney's percentage of precinct votes goes up (the upward slope of the green line) while those of the three other candidates decline.

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The steady increase in Romney's percent of the vote and steady decline in Santorum's represents a statistical anomaly. In this case, the anomaly is amazing according to the researchers. They argue that the probability of this happening by chance alone is so small it exceeds the capability of statistical packages to handle. Their software says Romney's share of the vote, increasing with precinct size has zero probability of occurring by chance alone.

The significance of the Wisconsin analysis is of grave concern. Presuming the use of appropriate statistical measures and analysis, human intervention is the most likely available explanation.

Vote flipping gave Romney a 57,000-vote victory over Santorum in Wisconsin. Absent vote flipping, Santorum would have won over Romney by about 54,000 according the group's analysis.

Was Wisconsin the only state where Romney's share of the vote increased in this way as precinct size increased?

There were eleven states that showed this amazing anomaly, Romney gaining in votes and margins as precinct size increased. The chart below shows the estimated vote flipping for eleven of the fifty states analyzed by the group using precinct-level data.

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Take a look at data for the Ohio Republican primary. A similar pattern emerges as seen in the graph below. Romney percentages increase from 30% in the smaller precincts to 38% as precinct size increases. The slope of increased votes for Romney violates acceptable levels for probability and must attributed to external intervention. The 65,777 estimated flipped votes provided Romney with a win over Santorum instead of a loss.

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Why attribute the anomaly to intervention rather than an innocent trend? Consider what happens when there is no opportunity for human intervention through voting machines or central tabulators. Ohio has a variety of computerized voting systems. The results are recorded by computer at the precinct level and transferred to a central tabulator operated by election officials. Similarly, the vast majority of votes in Wisconsin are cast using electronic voting machines and central tabulators. However, eight counties still use paper ballots that are counted at the precinct level. The paper ballot counties have no central tabulators. They show no pattern of vote flipping. (See Figure 3: WI Outagamie County in document 2008/2012 Election Anomalies, Results, Analysis and Concerns, September 2012)

New Hampshire offers an even better comparison between precincts that use central tabulators (hand counted paper ballot precincts) and those without. Watchthevote2012.org, a citizen voting rights group, deployed volunteers at 27 precincts on election night to witness all aspect vote counting. Additional data was added for the 79 paper ballot-no tabulator precincts (See "NH Primary Vote Count for Jan 10, 2012" at http://www.watchthevote2012.com ).

The graphs below reveal the Romney pattern of vote flipping in precincts with electronic voting machines and central tabulators. No such pattern shows up in areas with hand-counted paper ballots. (Note, Watchthevote2012.org figures for the precincts differ from the published figures by state election officials.) See the graphs illustrating the difference at this link.

One criticism of this research is based on an assumption concerning the demographics of rural, suburban, and urban voters. The argument is that Romney was more likely gain votes as the larger precincts were counted since these larger precincts were closer to cities. City dwellers were presumed to be more sympathetic to Romney than Santorum, Gingrich, and Paul.

The research group considered the demographic question in detail in their second study. Their analysis debunks that presumption and further demonstrates the validity and reliability of the analysis.

The suggested vote flipping favoring Romney is based on 2008 and 2012 precinct data and statistical analysis. The process is transparent as demonstrated by the two papers produced by the groups.

Significance for the 2012 Presidential Election

The probability that systematic election fraud benefited Mitt Romney is a significant concern in the upcoming presidential election. The election is close in battleground states. The stakes are high. The precinct data and analytic techniques used by the researchers are available from the authors for election analysis (see contact information on research papers). Post-election analysis can capture this pattern of vote flipping. But that will be too late.

Public officials and elected representatives need a wakeup call before the election. They need to know about the amazing anomaly described by the researchers. The two research group papers and this article are available for open distribution. Forward one or all of the publications to your county elections division and elected officials. Look for the "County Election Clerk" or "Registrar of Voters" on your county website. The Secretary of State for each state has an election division as well (state boards of elections listing)

Citizen-based exit polling is more important now than ever before. Exit polls by the television networks have been drastically curtailed. They will be conducted in only thirty one states. The media-sponsored exit polls may be of little use in detecting vote flipping. Raw data is rarely offered to citizens for objective analysis. In addition, the media sponsored exit polls presume the accuracy of officially announced vote totals. These pollsters adjust their raw data to conform to the official results.

Citizen exit polling is a vital alternative. Motivated citizens can perform their own analysis of raw data from precincts with the analytic techniques used by the researchers discussed in this article. In addition, experienced researchers with a track record of election fraud analysis should be consulted both before and after November 6.

Election fraud has been a part of politics in the United States throughout its history. From the disenfranchisements of minorities and immigrants to the wide array of suspected election fraud in the 2004 presidential election, the perpetrators of election fraud lurk in the shadows awaiting the every-four-year, high-yield opportunity to select the next president of the United States. Vigilance, citizen monitoring, and public discussion are the only protections we have left.

This article may be reproduced with attribution of authorship and a link to this article.

Special thanks to Jillian Hayroot for her helpful input.

PS: Someone else made those charts, it was not me :)
 
Nice job guys. Can I please ask really nicely that the usual suspects stay out of this thread? This has been argued ad infinitum on several threads. Not the place.
 
Little they know this correlation exists on general elections... but it favors the Democrat. This can be fun.

General elections are more complex to analyze because in some counties, there is a relationship between precinct size for each political party. This factor has to be accounted for.

From what I've seen Democrats are generally more represented in cities and consequently larger precincts.
 
General elections are more complex to analyze because in some counties, there is a relationship between precinct size for each political party. This factor has to be accounted for.

From what I've seen Democrats are generally more represented in cities and consequently larger precincts.

That's why the favorite Republican tactic in the GEs is to keep people who live in certain areas away from the polls. "Be sure to go vote for Obama on Wednesday, Nov 7" fliers should be prevalent in OH, NV and FL over the next few weeks.
 
That's why the favorite Republican tactic in the GEs is to keep people who live in certain areas away from the polls. "Be sure to go vote for Obama on Wednesday, Nov 7" fliers should be prevalent in OH, NV and FL over the next few weeks.

Anyone who doesn't know election day is always Tuesday just shouldn't bother. The first Tuesday after the first Monday, to be precise :) I bet they don't even teach that anymore in the public schools.
 
Story is #1 on OpEd news:

http://www.opednews.com/populum/page_stats.php?content=a

#1 10/22/2012 Rigged Elections for Romney? (by Michael Collins) (see # of pageviews)

#2 10/21/2012 Employees of Romney family's secret bank tied to fraud, money laundering, drug cartels and the CIA (by Bob Fitrakis) (see # of pageviews)

#3 10/22/2012 What if We Always Called Mitt Bishop Romney? It Could Be a Game Changer (by Rob Kall) (see # of pageviews)

#4 10/21/2012 Mitt Romney thinks it's good business to intimidate workers into voting for the GOP (by Rich Bergen) (see # of pageviews)

#5 10/21/2012 Better Childhoods Through Chemistry (by Martha Rosenberg) (see # of pageviews)

#6 10/20/2012 MELT DOWN?! Corporate Greed, Gov't Corruption, and America's Own Fukushima Disaster. (by Brett Redmayne-Titley) (see # of pageviews)
 
That's why the favorite Republican tactic in the GEs is to keep people who live in certain areas away from the polls. "Be sure to go vote for Obama on Wednesday, Nov 7" fliers should be prevalent in OH, NV and FL over the next few weeks.

You saw this story before you posted!! Cheater!!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/22/ohio-election-date-notices_n_2002726.html

With both presidential campaigns focusing their attention on the critical swing state of Ohio, officials in the northeastern county of Ottawa discovered late last week that they had sent out 2,200 notices telling voters that election day was Thursday, Nov. 8, instead of the actual date, Tuesday, Nov. 6., the Washington Post reports.

The Associated Press reported that Carol Ann Hill, deputy director of the county's Board of Elections, said 7 percent of the 30,000 registered voters in the county were mailed incorrect postcards. Hill added that the relatively small percentage "doesn't make it any better."

....

/sarcasm

You're either a cheater or a psychic!
 
Also, how convenient for Romney:

"Ohio is not the only state where county officials have managed to get the election date wrong. Officials in Maricopa County, Ariz., mistakenly listed the general election date as Nov. 8 in the Spanish translation of an "official government document" given to around 50 voters."

Sheriff Joe, I see what you did here ...
 
LOL no I didn't see that, I just recall it happening every Presidential election. On election day, some of the polling areas will be littered with flyers that say if you have ever been arrested, you can't vote.
 
General elections are more complex to analyze because in some counties, there is a relationship between precinct size for each political party. This factor has to be accounted for.

From what I've seen Democrats are generally more represented in cities and consequently larger precincts.

Yeps. That's because in some states larger precincts tend to have distinct demographics than smaller ones. And demographic factors (race, age, social and economic status, religion, etc) are correlated with voting (and obviously partisan) preferences. Obviously there's going to be a marginal correlation between precinct size and voting preferences.

Of course, this is also true for a primary, demographics matter there too.
 
Has anyone forwarded this story to the local Milwaukee news outlets yet?
 
Anyone who doesn't know election day is always Tuesday just shouldn't bother. The first Tuesday after the first Monday, to be precise :) I bet they don't even teach that anymore in the public schools.

I mention it to my students (K-12 and college), and I teach biology. But then I also sometimes add that our votes pretty much will mean squat because the power is in the people that count them. :)
 
Shared this to Facebook, but I didn't get one comment. Sad.

Mello, did you send this to anyone in Milwaukee news? It's a good idea.
 
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