Members in the Media
From: The Washington Post

Voters determined to have their say despite 1 in millions odds of casting decisive ballot

The Washington Post:

There’s always grousing about the many people who don’t bother to vote. But look at it the other way: An estimated 133 million Americans will cast ballots in Tuesday’s election. Some will persevere despite long lines, pressing personal burdens or the devastation left by Superstorm Sandy. Why do they do it?

It’s not because any one voter has much chance of deciding the super-tight contest between President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney.

A one-vote win is rare even in local or state races, which attract smaller turnout. The largest numbers of voters — about 6 in 10 eligible adults — come out for presidential years. Yet the presidency’s never turned on just one vote, not even in the 2000 recount that flummoxed Florida.

Read the whole story: The Washington Post

More of our Members in the Media >


APS regularly opens certain online articles for discussion on our website. Effective February 2021, you must be a logged-in APS member to post comments. By posting a comment, you agree to our Community Guidelines and the display of your profile information, including your name and affiliation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations present in article comments are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of APS or the article’s author. For more information, please see our Community Guidelines.

Please login with your APS account to comment.