Election Night Statistics Stupidity

It happened in 2004, and it looks to be happening again tonight: the networks are declaring winners of states, and eventually of the election, based on trivial numbers.

...

Watching NBC at the moment, and they just scrolled through a dozen or so states where they happily declared a winner in the Presidential Election with zero percent of the votes reported!

Yes. That's right. ZERO percent.

So no votes have been reported, but there have been winners declared.

Sure, some of the dozen states they've declared have some reports. A great many have ONE PERCENT.

This is so stupid!

I know the information is being updated frequently, so I've copied a current look at the situation. It's so horrible that I'm about to give up on elections entirely.

My apologies for the loss of formatting, but I think the point is made. Sadly, the checkmarks have been also lost, so the winners can't be seen.

For anyone really interested, I've saved the HTML page as of a few minutes ago, and you can download the whole thing, images and all from this link.

This is from the MSNBC website, and I apologize if the link stops working, too, although technically that's not my fault.

The data tables below were last refreshed at 8:19 p.m., Tues., Nov. 4, 2008  |  Refresh page
President

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Candidate	Popular vote	% of votes	Electoral votes
270 electoral votes needed to win | 12% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) 	13,071,980	50% 	175
John McCain (Rep) 	12,980,534	49% 	76

Alabama

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 9 | 6% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) checkmark	53,167	49%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	54,649	50%
Alaska

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 3 | 0% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	0	0%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	0	0%
Arizona

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 10 | 0% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	0	0%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	0	0%
Arkansas

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 6 | 3% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) checkmark	103,114	50%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	99,610	48%
California

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 55 | 0% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	0	0%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	0	0%
Colorado

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 9 | 9% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) 	143,891	51%
John McCain (Rep) 	133,920	48%
Connecticut

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 7 | 25% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	242,177	64%
John McCain (Rep) 	134,044	35%
Delaware

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 3 | 0% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	0	0%
John McCain (Rep) 	0	0%
District of Columbia

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 3 | 0% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	0	0%
John McCain (Rep) 	0	0%
Florida

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 27 | 50% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) 	2,867,881	51%
John McCain (Rep) 	2,682,685	48%
Georgia

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 15 | 41% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) checkmark	720,305	60%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	477,160	40%
Bob Barr (Lib) 	10,254	1%
Hawaii

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 4 | 0% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	0	0%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	0	0%
Idaho

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 4 | 0% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	0	0%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	0	0%
Illinois

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 21 | 9% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	273,660	63%
John McCain (Rep) 	158,619	36%
Indiana

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 11 | 65% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	894,532	51%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	855,019	48%
Iowa

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 7 | 0% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	0	0%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	0	0%
Kansas

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 6 | 1% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) checkmark	15,369	59%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	10,307	39%
Kentucky

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 8 | 67% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) checkmark	621,411	55%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	489,848	43%
Louisiana

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 9 | 0% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	44,526	61%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	27,469	38%
Ron Paul (Ltp) 	398	1%
Maine

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 4 | 4% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	16,814	66%
John McCain (Rep) 	8,202	32%
Maryland

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 10 | 4% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	32,368	51%
John McCain (Rep) 	30,110	47%
Massachusetts

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 12 | 26% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	471,664	62%
John McCain (Rep) 	273,274	36%
Michigan

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 17 | 7% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	132,283	46%
John McCain (Rep) 	151,261	52%
Minnesota

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 10 | 0% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	0	0%
John McCain (Rep) 	0	0%
Mississippi

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 6 | 3% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	12,320	55%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	9,758	44%
Missouri

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 11 | 3% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	63,960	51%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	58,547	47%
Montana

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 3 | 0% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	0	0%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	0	0%
Ron Paul (Cst) 	0	0%
Nebraska

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 5 | 0% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	6,466	62%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	3,849	37%
Nevada

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 5 | 0% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	0	0%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	0	0%
New Hampshire

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 4 | 20% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	90,240	56%
John McCain (Rep) 	70,788	44%
New Jersey

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 15 | 20% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	455,808	56%
John McCain (Rep) 	351,662	43%
New Mexico

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 5 | 0% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	57	89%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	7	11%
New York

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 31 | 0% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	14,022	71%
John McCain (Rep) 	5,618	28%
North Carolina

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 15 | 40% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) 	1,341,422	52%
John McCain (Rep) 	1,237,431	48%
North Dakota

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 3 | 2% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) checkmark	1,841	59%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	1,202	38%
Ohio

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 20 | 9% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) 	713,302	57%
John McCain (Rep) 	527,914	42%
Oklahoma

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 7 | 15% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) checkmark	137,263	61%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	87,265	39%
Oregon

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 7 | 0% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	0	0%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	0	0%
Pennsylvania

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 21 | 8% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	206,487	64%
John McCain (Rep) 	109,613	34%
Rhode Island

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 4 | 1% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	2,828	59%
John McCain (Rep) 	1,869	39%
South Carolina

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 8 | 34% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) checkmark	309,655	57%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	227,858	42%
South Dakota

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 3 | 7% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	8,944	50%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	8,752	48%
Tennessee

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 11 | 23% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) checkmark	690,985	59%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	472,559	40%
Texas

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 34 | 4% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	2,306,589	52%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	2,115,938	48%
Utah

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 5 | 0% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	0	0%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	0	0%
Vermont

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 3 | 20% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	53,889	66%
John McCain (Rep) 	26,807	33%
Virginia

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 13 | 67% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	1,049,451	50%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	1,031,789	49%
Washington

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 11 | 0% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	0	0%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	0	0%
West Virginia

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 5 | 20% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) 	81,146	52%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	71,516	46%
Wisconsin

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 10 | 0% of precincts reporting
Barack Obama (Dem) checkmark	0	0%
John McCain (Rep) 	0	0%
Wyoming

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Candidate	Votes	% of votes
Electoral votes: 3 | 0% of precincts reporting
John McCain (Rep) checkmark	651	65%
Barack Obama (Dem) 	329	33%

Results are based on NBC News projections and unofficial returns, and are updated frequently. Refresh your browser to see the latest results. Candidates listed in bold indicate projected winner. Candidates marked with an asterisk indicate incumbent. “Current” refers to the balance of power in the outgoing Congress. “New” refers to the projected balance of power in the incoming Congress. “Holdover” refers to the U.S. Senate seats not up for election in 2008. To learn more about how NBC News projects winners and how to read NBC’s exit polls, click here. To learn more about electoral votes and how they are apportioned, click here.