r/politics • u/slaysia • Dec 19 '17

Democrat wins Va. House seat in recount by single vote; creating 50-50 tie in legislature

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/democrat-wins-va-house-seat-in-recount-by-single-vote-creating-50-50-tie-in-legislature/2017/12/19/3ff227ae-e43e-11e7-ab50-621fe0588340_story.html?utm_term=.82f2b85b50fa
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3.7k

u/VStarffin Dec 19 '17

The entire state legislature flipped on ONE VOTE. Not one legislator's vote. One constituent's vote.

One fucking vote. Has that ever happened before?

835

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '17

[deleted]

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u/VStarffin Dec 19 '17

Interesting. While it may be strong to say that the house "flipped", it is important that unilateral power over it was taken away from the GOP at least.

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u/[deleted] Dec 19 '17

[deleted]

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u/john_doe_jersey New Jersey Dec 19 '17

GOP just went from a supermajority to a tied house and anyone that was even somewhat moderate was basically replaced by a Democrat.

It's probably gonna be a shitshow.

228

u/cespinar Colorado Dec 19 '17

anyone that was even somewhat moderate was basically replaced by a Democrat.

no, we replaced the most bigoted anti-lgbt statesman with a trans woman who ran on the traffic problem.

10

u/DrTardis89 Dec 20 '17

Can confirm I spent an hour on that road today. I live in the district next to hers but my god does 28 need fixed

7

u/cespinar Colorado Dec 20 '17

Between 28, 29, 66, 95, 495 and route 1 it is a miracle anyone gets anywhere in NOVA.

2

u/DrTardis89 Dec 20 '17

Maybe if we charge every one 40 dollars it will get better.

22

u/nonu731 Dec 19 '17

That's one candidate though.

What happens usually is that the most extreme crazies somehow manage to get elected in their super red districts while moderate Republicans get voted out. This makes the party even more crazy.

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u/TzunSu Dec 20 '17

This is bad in the short term, but probably good in the long term.

2

u/Lowbacca1977 Dec 20 '17

I'd say it's the reverse. It's that pattern that got us the GOP of today.

5

u/TzunSu Dec 20 '17

Well the GOP of yesterday were not nearly as disconnected from the electorate as they are today. Being more radical in a country that's turning more Liberal every year means you can entrench your supporters, but you will lose moderates and new voters. Simply said there are not that many more racists and idiots out there that aren't already Republicans.

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u/[deleted] Dec 19 '17

anyone that was even somewhat moderate was basically replaced by a Democrat

Moderate republicans are now democrats.

6

u/qwerty622 Dec 19 '17

This may well be the story of US politics in 2018

3

u/theriibirdun Dec 20 '17

Checking in.

7

u/socialistbob Dec 19 '17

If I was a Republican senator in VA I would be seriously worried right now and seriously considering jumping ships to the Dems.

14

u/Timthos Dec 19 '17

Republicans play nice in a state that's gradually becoming more and more liberal? That would be surprising.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 20 '17

As some others have stated the last time this happened was in 1998

When the undertaker threw manki-

Here's r/icedino comment about what happened then 

Oh

2

u/clockwerkman Dec 20 '17

It's arguably flipped because we have a democrat governor who can veto

27

u/schneidro Colorado Dec 19 '17

Last time this happened, it was pretty chaotic. Northam will have to use his leadership skills and connection with GOP lawmakers to manage this, establishing the speakership and committee chairs.

2

u/pcx99 Dec 20 '17

Naw. The governor just has to extend a cushy executive position to a moderate, non-threatening republican in the house of delegates. That makes it 50-49 until there's a special election which you'd think the governor would ensure was a district the dems could win.

11

u/nemoknows New Jersey Dec 19 '17

Brilliant system there.

10

u/balloot Dec 19 '17

It quasi-flipped. Republicans don't get to elect the speaker or have majorities on committees any more - they need to come to an agreement with Democrats. That's a huge deal. On one vote.

6

u/theCroc Dec 19 '17

Sweden used to have a 350 seat parliament. Then one election ended with a 175-175 split between the two major blocks.

Now Sweden has a 349 seat parliament.

1

u/TzunSu Dec 20 '17

When was this?

31

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '17

[deleted]

4

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '17

I'll take it. That's huge. We've all seen how much damage Republicans can do with just a 1 vote advantage.

3

u/Rockyrox Dec 19 '17

So why you’re saying is that they will have to work together?? HOGWASH!!

3

u/DothrakAndRoll Oregon Dec 19 '17

Better complicated and awkward than lead by R right now.

2

u/androgenius Dec 19 '17

So we're just waiting for one (or more) of them to be exposed as a sexual predator? Shouldn't take long.

2

u/sir_writer Dec 19 '17

It did flip. From GOP controlled to non-one controlled. It's a 3 sided house :)

2

u/Smarag Europe Dec 19 '17

Power sharing in the House of Delegates is an awkward exercise. Committee chairs have to be negotiated as does the person who will serve as Speaker. With the parties split 50-50, there is no mechanism to break ties and any legislation short of 51 votes does not advance

that's not complicated that's the definition of a tie.

1

u/RandomFactUser Dec 19 '17

Watch out if the 28th gets modified

1

u/cbarrister Dec 20 '17

Good. Maybe they'll be forced to - gasp - compromise!

-1

u/CANOODLING_SOCIOPATH Connecticut Dec 19 '17

The house basically flipped, as they can now ram through legislation on a party line basis with the Lt. Governor. But it seems unlikely that they are able to get enough state senate Republicans to support a bill that requires them to do that.

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u/appmanga Dec 19 '17

Election ties are more common than most people believe, and many times the election is then decided....by a coin toss:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-2014-elections-that-ended-in-a-tie/

http://www.journalinquirer.com/public/coin-toss-gives-republican-win-in-bolton/article_46363078-ca22-11e7-8e92-2387d2894d61.html

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/idaho/articles/2017-11-11/coin-toss-to-decide-winner-of-tied-city-council-election

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u/VStarffin Dec 19 '17

To be clear, I wasn't asking if any election has ever been decided by one vote. I was asking if a full legislative chamber has ever been tipped by one vote.

0

u/appmanga Dec 19 '17

I'm not going to research that one, but they are few thing under the sun that are new.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 20 '17

Given that there are about half a million elected officials in the US, it's surprising there aren't more races that end in a tie.

99

u/ShortFuse Dec 19 '17

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_close_election_results

Yes.

67

u/dbbk United Kingdom Dec 19 '17

I love this one from the UK's Horwich Church Ward By-Election;

Labour candidate Richard Silvester and Lib Dem candidate Gordon Stone each had 384 votes (after two recounts). The returning officer then ruled the contest would be decided on the turn of a card.

Stone's queen of clubs beat Silvester's jack of spades. (A total of 1,191 votes were cast including the final vote cast by the draw of the card. Two were spoilt or unmarked.)

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u/[deleted] Dec 19 '17 edited Dec 07 '19

[deleted]

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u/BaconAllDay2 Dec 20 '17

You don't admit you didn't vote! You take that to the grave.

3

u/commoncross Dec 19 '17

My MP was elected by 2 votes at the last General Election (this time the Lib Dems lost).

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u/VStarffin Dec 19 '17

To be clear, I wasn't asking if any election has ever been decided by one vote. I was asking if a full legislative chamber has ever been tipped by one vote.

2

u/beaverteeth92 Dec 19 '17

The 1972 New Hampshire Senate race came down to two votes at a recount.

3

u/Apurimac_ Dec 20 '17

That one is genuinely insane. Today's vote was ~22k total votes, that election was ten times that amount, with multiple recounts and manual ballots.

40

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '17

[deleted]

4

u/Spaceman2901 Texas Dec 19 '17

I'm cracking up thinking about the headache that the one vote is going to cause all 100 reps in that body.

The nearest pharmacy had best stock up on tylenol, ibuprofen and excedrin...

65

u/BatCountry9 Maryland Dec 19 '17

Imagine being that Republican couple who were going to vote, but changed their minds at the last minute so they could stay home and try anal for the first time, and they're now like "Aw, I can't believe we lost the legislature to the Democrats...but hey, at least now we have a fun new activity for the holidays."

5

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '17

but hey, at least now we have a fun new activity for the holidays."

After what happened last time? I don't think so.

5

u/Mmffgg Dec 20 '17

This is how people start believing gays cause inclement weather

12

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '17

[deleted]

6

u/[deleted] Dec 20 '17

Openly

3

u/thisisbasil Maryland Dec 19 '17

This guy

3

u/TheOtherUprising Canada Dec 20 '17

lmao.....

5

u/Tim226 Dec 19 '17

http://www.radiolab.org/story/one-vote/

really entertaining podcast about that topic

5

u/aboycandream Dec 19 '17

Jon Snow became Lord Commander based on Maester Aemon's single vote

1

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '17

Holy shit,Radio Lab did an episode asking this, and I think there answer was a tentative no. Bet here we are!

http://www.radiolab.org/story/one-vote/

1

u/pibbs Dec 19 '17

to be fair, democrats won the statewide popular vote by wayyyy more than one vote

1

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '17

Pretty sure Texas became a state off one vote, will have to check source.

1

u/dgapa Dec 19 '17

It's like that shitty movie that came out a few years ago.

1

u/MetalBeerSolid Dec 19 '17

Kevin Costner...

1

u/Frankenmuppet Dec 19 '17

The representative in my riding a few years back lost by 27 votes... Im in Canada so its not nearly as exciting as US politics, but damn that was a depressing night...

1

u/DAJ1 Dec 20 '17

In this year's UK General Election, the Scottish National Party beat the Lib Dems in North East Fife by 2 votes (13,743 vs 13,741).

Extra painful in that the greater than two thirds unionist vote was split three four ways, leading the SNP to win.

1

u/xAntimonyx Dec 20 '17

Earth's first robot president, John Quincy Adding Machine won by just one vote.

1

u/Gabrielwingue Dec 20 '17

No word of a lie. In a Prince Edward Island provincial election in Canada a few years back there was one district that was a deadlock tie and the elected official was determined by coin toss.

1

u/A_Genius Dec 20 '17

In Canada in my province a conservative majority was flipped to a progressive majority by 9 single constituents votes and that's the closest I've ever heard.