Editing 1131: Math

{{comic
| number    = 1131
| date      = November 7, 2012
| title     = Math
| image     = xkcdmath.png
| imagesize = 
| titletext = As of this writing, the only thing that's 'razor-thin' or 'too close to call' is the gap between the consensus poll forecast and the result.
}}

==Explanation==
In another election-themed comic (this one posted the day after the {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|2012 U.S. presidential election}} (see [[1122: Electoral Precedent]], [[1127: Congress]], and [[1130: Poll Watching]]), this comic shows a bar graph representing expected (see note below) electoral college votes in the election, including a dotted line indicating the 270 votes needed to win, a span of media & exit poll projections ("Forecast"), and the actual result.  Such a visual -- and the true result of the election -- can only be based on the actual data available, proving the comic's point that the numbers matter more than any rhetoric.

For those unfamiliar with the US Presidential electoral process: unlike other political offices, the election for president is not a direct election.  Instead, each state is apportioned a certain number of "electoral college" votes based on population.  For the most part (and there is perennial discussion on whether this should be changed) the candidate that receives the most votes in a given state receives all the electoral college votes for that state.  With 538 electoral votes total, receiving 270 electoral college votes is sufficient to be declared president-elect.  For this reason, it is possible to have one candidate actually receive more "popular" votes (more people voted for the candidate,) but have fewer electoral college votes, and consequently, why some "battleground states" are so hotly contested.

The electoral college votes are expectations until the official voting in early December.

{{comic discussion}} 
[[Category:Politics]]