What are the daily Electoral College vote tallies from biased sources?

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In summary, the conversation discusses the bias of two websites that track Electoral College votes, one with a Democratic bias and the other with a Republican bias. The conversation also debates whether bias influences the results of these websites and whether it is important to consider bias when looking at political information. Ultimately, it is concluded that despite potential biases, both websites provide valuable information and it is up to the individual to draw their own conclusions.
  • #1
GENIERE
The links below tally Electoral College votes on a daily basis, one with Democratic bias, and the other with Republican bias.

http://www.electionprojection.com/elections2004.html

http://www.electoral-vote.com/


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  • #2
Which bias are you attributing to which site?
 
  • #3
I report, you decide.
 
  • #4
Thats how the media should be
 
  • #5
What? They both show Bush winning by about the same margin, how could you consider either biased? If you're saying one source is biased liberally and one conservatively, part of your "report" should be telling which is biased which, and supporting your claim with facts.
 
  • #6
wasteofo2 said:
What? They both show Bush winning by about the same margin, how could you consider either biased?
I tend to agree. Certainly, it is possible to bias a survey (typically, its in the wording of the question or the sampling technique), but when both have the same result (within each's margin for error), the biases - especially if expected to be opposites - can be concluded to be relatively low.
 
  • #7
So that's it pretty much it. When Russ agrees with me that something isn't so, it takes someone pretty far out there to contest it is.
 
  • #8
ta daaaaaah ! :biggrin:
 
  • #9
Duh! Usually when I come across a new political site I make an effort to determine its bias, or lack thereof. This blogger, in his bio, states:

http://www.electionprojection.com/elections2004.html

“…As you would probably guess by now, my politics are conservative…”


Whereas this blogger states in FAQs”

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

“…I am a Kerry supporter. I am open about that…”

I attribute the difference in results to represent the blogger’s , perhaps unintended, bias.

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  • #10
In my experience, being open about your bias is the biggest indicator of objectivity. Everyone has one so trying to hide it is a good indication that it effects your objectivity. Both of these guys have done a good job.
I attribute the difference in results to represent the blogger’s , perhaps unintended, bias.
But that's just it - statistically, there is no difference in their results.
 
  • #11
There's a difference between wanting one candidate to win and purposely biasing your facts. There are lots of different polls out there, if the guy who supports Kerry really were biased, he'd have no reason not to go scrounge around for random polls with Kerry ahead and paste them all together to make it seem like Kerry will undoubtedly win, but he hasn't. I know that I've seen many polls differing greatly on national and state-wide numbers, and if anyone put a concerted effort into it, they could go around and find random polls that would show their guy winning in a landslide.

Just chill out and wait a bit, Iraq is turbulent, the debates (which are more like mutual press conferences) are coming up, there're always going to be "October Surprises", just wait a while before you go proclaiming Bush the winner. I think a telling sign that the race is close is that not even official Bush representatives on TV are willing to say anything like "Kerry's through", they all caution people that it will be a close race.
 
  • #12
russ_watters said:
...But that's just it - statistically, there is no difference in their results.

Statiscally borderline, but I'll cede all points posters have made or might make relevant to bias 'cause I'm not interested! I listed two sites, trying to be open minded. I should have known better. I expected no replies; I simply passed on links to two sites I found interesting.

Jeeesh!

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  • #13
just don't try to attribute bias where non exist geniere
 
  • #14
GENIERE- I'm on to you man...reverse phsycology...good one.
 
  • #15
I don't think the posted results of either is biased. The electoral_vote.com definitely isn't. There's virtually no screening of polls. All are accepted. Whether that's a good thing or not is open to debate.

Regardless, the wild swings between different polls and even occasionally within a given poll with nothing to correlate the swings to makes me wonder about the credibility of any individual poll. That's why I like electoral_vote.com. You can look at the graphs for the individual states and draw your own conclusions about the accuracy of the current standings.
 
  • #16
IMO it would be a good time to look at these sites and get a base line to campare results after the debate.
 

1. What is the Electoral College forecast?

The Electoral College forecast is a prediction of the outcome of a presidential election based on the state-by-state breakdown of electoral votes. It takes into account various factors such as polling data, historical voting patterns, and demographic information to estimate which candidate is likely to win the majority of electoral votes.

2. Why is the Electoral College forecast important?

The Electoral College forecast is important because it gives us an idea of which candidate is likely to win the election before all the votes are counted. This can help voters make informed decisions and also allows campaigns to strategize and focus their efforts on key states.

3. How accurate is the Electoral College forecast?

The accuracy of the Electoral College forecast varies from election to election. Some forecasts use statistical models that have a high level of accuracy, while others rely on polling data which can be less reliable. It's important to keep in mind that a forecast is not a guarantee of the election outcome, but rather a prediction based on available data.

4. Can the Electoral College forecast change?

Yes, the Electoral College forecast can change as new information becomes available. Polling data, events, and other factors can shift the predicted outcome of the election. It's important to follow multiple forecasts and track changes in order to get a more accurate picture.

5. How does the Electoral College forecast impact the election?

The Electoral College forecast can impact the election by influencing voter behavior and campaign strategies. If a candidate is predicted to win by a large margin, it may discourage supporters of the opposing candidate from voting. On the other hand, a close forecast may motivate voters to turn out and campaigns to focus on key battleground states.

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