CA vote was f'd up (Insightful comment, please read...)

[cprise]

I came across this comment from a Slashdot poster on the CA recall results:


a question on the calif voting system (Score:5, Insightful)
by ThinWhiteDuke (464916) on Tuesday October 07, @12:34PM (#7154040)

I'm following this remotely from across the pond. I mention this so that I'm not suspected of partisanship here. I don't vote in the US, I have no agenda for or against dems or reps, Davis or Schwartzenegger. I'm just interested in the fairness of the election process.

Either I'm mistaken or there's a little paradox here that nobody appears to have pointed out. IIRC, the latest polls give the recall "yes" vote leading by 53/47 or something. IF the recall is voted, then Arnold seems to be leading the poll with around 35%, while Bustamente is credited with 25%. The paradox is the following : 47% of Californians want Davis for Governor, 35% want Arnold; yet Arnold is going to get elected.

WTF!?! I understand that those scores do not correspond to the exactly same question. But if I was a California citizen, I would be concerned. Why doesn't Davis run for his own succession? Is he not allowed to do it? Or is this a part of his electoral strategy: focus on the actual recall. If the former is true, I believe that the system is fucked up. One could perfectly imagine a situation where Davis would be recalled, yet would win the succession election. That would basically mean that Californian voters don't like him much but don't want anyone else to do the job.

As I see it, the current system is asking far more from Davis than from anyone else. Seems unfair to me. Anyone cares to share some knowledge/insight on this?

http://slashdot.org/pollBooth.pl?qid=1006&aid=-1

[Racenut20]

1. Davis could not be on the ballot

[Freddie Stubbs]

2. Actually, Arnold recieved more votes than 'no on recall'

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2003/recall/index.html

[papau]

5. Close: NO got 3459015, Arnold got 3552787 (98% precints reporting)

:-)

[donsu]

3. can you say rigged voting machines?

nt

[Freddie Stubbs]

4. I would agree with you if the results did agree with the exit polling

But they do.

[donsu]

6. who did the exit polls?

nt

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. CNN & AP