If your choice was on top, you'd be praising the statistical acumen of the pollster~!

The only poll that counts happens on the day people go to the polls or their caucus locations. I'm not betting on anyone tomorrow. There are just too many variables.

or the Princeton Election Consortium is involved?

These are prediction models. Nothing more.

...Surface tabs involved in this when we already had prediction modelers?

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]

...devises and we did just fine.

So now it's OK for corporations to be involved in some aspects of a national election?

There is always a company behind nearly everything in this country. You can't expect the government to be the sole supplier of everything because then people would question why the government was involved.

There are 300 million people in this country. Of course companies provide services for us, whether they are incorporated or not.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]

individual elections, don't you?

Are you trying to say that the federal government should ORDER the states to use this system, or that one, or create one and shove it down the states' throats--and not let them make the decisions for themselves how they want to count their votes?

There's a term for that kind of "central control."

I think they call it "freedom of speech".

Now, are you complaining about Microsoft Bing providing a prediction model, or the Microsoft App being used to report the tallies?

I think your problem is that you don't like the conclusion that Microsoft has reached. If they called this for Bernie in a Landslide you'd be spreading the link far and wide.

smh!

all bets are lame.
There's a high tech firm from Burlington. You wouldn't mind, right?

Let's not over-estimate what they're doing here. It's kind of creepy in a "woo" way when people start saying that kind of thing.

Every caucus site will come up with a total. They'll put their numbers up for all to see. Those numbers will be fed into this aggregator to come up with a big old spreadsheet, but there's nothing to stop you--or anyone else--from getting the information from the sources--all 1600-whatever of them-- and putting it together themselves.

Unless people have forgotten how to add in the Era of the Computer That Does Everything. Anyone can grab a pencil and do the work themselves. I would urge those who are expressing "concern" to do just that and reassure themselves that the figures add up.

and then we can talk about Microsoft.

Hmmmmm?

I don't believe it.
Too many anti-Wall Street people who'll vote 'ABC' (anyone but Clinton).

someone needs to call the Orkin man.

it's only 41% more than the current polls suggest...

RCP Average 10/3 - 12/27

Clinton 50.0
Sanders 30.5
O'Malley 0.5

Their numbers for Nevada are a little shady. Still don't think it's going to be too far off. If Sanders loses Iowa tonight it will deflate his later states. Tonight is really big for Sanders. Do or die.

The votes in each precinct will be publicly counted, and each precinct will have someone reporting the result back to campaign HQ. If the Microsoft tally doesn't match the actual results, you'll know about it.

I'm certain you would say the same exact thing if they predicted Bernie to win.

But then what corporation would provide the pens and paper to tally the votes? And how would that not compromise things, too? Conspiracy theories have no end.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]

Alright everyone!! Tabulate your results!!!

Is Microsoft as omniscient, as omnipotent as Hillary?
30 years ago Micro got slapped on the wrist for anti-trust violations. Womnder who is in who's pocket?
You guessed it.
Or if you didn't, you're being obtuse.

I think that pretty much leaves everyone out.

Or maybe we should vote for which company will provide software and PCs. But then who would provide the software and PCs for that vote?

Look, absent any solid evidence of a conspiracy, I'm fine with Microsoft providing whatever. And I detest them as a company for their bizarre updates that add no functionality to our world.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]

Willful ignorance.

No need to vote?

of time, I get suspicious and nervous. How about you?

counted at each caucus location, and posted.

All they're doing is aggregating the information.

You'll be able to check their work, and I hope you spend your evening doing so if you're concerned.

using their own software which will act to keep Microsoft honest (yeah, checks and balances!). I enjoy your distinction between counting and aggregating information... most creative, thanks!

The only people who can cheat are the Republicans--they vote by secret ballot.

If there are fifty people standing in a corner, and seventy people standing in another corner, and thirty people standing in yet another corner, it's kind of hard to pretend they're not there. You've got WITNESSES -- the people standing in those corners.

The Democratic Party's process is transparent in the extreme. You're not allowed any privacy in your vote in IA. It's kind of hard to "cheat" when the people are standing right there and know how many are in their number.

smh!

of caucus voting. However, those physical bodies are converted to tabulated digital numbers. If one system tabulates, how is the end result guaranteed to match the physical? After all, there is no paper trail of individual votes and its not like you can go back and count those physical bodies to verify the vote. However, as I said (and you conveniently ignored), Bernie has our back by keeping tabs of the count (aggregating the information) on a separate system.

KNOWS what the numbers are. If they open their paper, look at the spreadsheet, and see the numbers for THEIR site "gamed" in any way, they're going to scream bloody murder.

When these things are gussied up, they don't just provide the totals--they provide the bits and bobs that make UP the totals.

Trying to play a "Big Bad Microsoft Squirrely Adding Machine" card is a bit ... weird.

To put it politely.

And if you think EVERY campaign isn't counting their own totals, I have a bridge for sale.

The only ones who aren't doing that are the Republicans--they vote by SECRET ballot. It's like a normal election--mark the form, drop it in the box, and leave. It's only the Democrats who do a public display of affection game.

All they're doing with this Microsoft thing is getting the totals done faster, which makes for better television. You can "declare" winners on the night, but there's a certification process that formally decides who won and how many delegates everyone gets. That's not going to happen today.

I love it when the media gets it wrong. They try to tell people how things are going to be and then act surprised when people don't do what they tell them to do.