Doesn't this site violate Canada election laws?
November 27, 2000 4:43 PM Subscribe
Doesn't this site violate Canada election laws? They claim they will be posting election results as the polls close. Under Canadian law, time zones that are still voting aren't allowed to know who is winning further east. First up: Newfoundland.
There *are* election laws in regard to this though...I was reading the other day how tough this was going to be to enforce. There's a simple answer, and its one that would have easily dealt with the first florida debacle (awarding to Bush way early) in the US as well - just don't let the polls in the east make any results public (that is, stop it at the polls rather than attempting to muzzle the media) until the polls in the west close.
posted by DiplomaticImmunity at 5:20 PM on November 27, 2000
posted by DiplomaticImmunity at 5:20 PM on November 27, 2000
I thought they did predictions based on exit-polling.
if that's the case, the best way to stop all of that would be for everyone to refuse to participate in exit polls.
rcb
posted by rebeccablood at 5:30 PM on November 27, 2000
if that's the case, the best way to stop all of that would be for everyone to refuse to participate in exit polls.
rcb
posted by rebeccablood at 5:30 PM on November 27, 2000
Or, as Mike Royko used to advise Chicagoans, lie to pollsters.
posted by dhartung at 5:45 PM on November 27, 2000
posted by dhartung at 5:45 PM on November 27, 2000
Exit polls aren't used in Canada to forecast results; any projections are based on actual results.
As for not broadcasting results; it's pretty strict: a cable broadcast of an american newscast I was just watching was blacked out while they did a story on the Canadian election.
posted by icathing at 6:47 PM on November 27, 2000
As for not broadcasting results; it's pretty strict: a cable broadcast of an american newscast I was just watching was blacked out while they did a story on the Canadian election.
posted by icathing at 6:47 PM on November 27, 2000
People do take the blackouts seriously here, for sure, although it's less of an issue because they jig the election times around the country so that there's not much of a lag on the West coast. An hour, I think. In the future it's going to be simultaneous closings across the country, or so it has been proposed, to moot the issue.
The website did contravene the laws. One other did, but through stupidity - they didn't pull down their live RA feed. They were alerted to the problem and promply pulled it down.
Exit polls are done here, but they are only used for the splits by networks, and not even that much for that purpose on the night itself. The focus here is on actual counted votes all the way, and these numbers are used constantly on air, not just percentages.
posted by mikel at 10:11 PM on November 27, 2000
The website did contravene the laws. One other did, but through stupidity - they didn't pull down their live RA feed. They were alerted to the problem and promply pulled it down.
Exit polls are done here, but they are only used for the splits by networks, and not even that much for that purpose on the night itself. The focus here is on actual counted votes all the way, and these numbers are used constantly on air, not just percentages.
posted by mikel at 10:11 PM on November 27, 2000
CBC was projecting results and reporting on closing polls by 9:30 last night, as the eastern provinces' polls closed they were reporting on won seats. Possible only in Ontario (where the polls closed at 9:30) and east?
posted by cCranium at 4:47 AM on November 28, 2000
posted by cCranium at 4:47 AM on November 28, 2000
« Older David Blaine | And now for something completely pointless... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by mzanatta at 4:49 PM on November 27, 2000