2016 presidential election

a weak presidential election filed with two bad candidates-scandalous Hillary Clinton and the sexist and divisive Donald Trump . however, Gary Johnson managed to perform well in the election, stealing Republican votes and making the libertarian movement mainstream

the 2016 presidential election was a load of shit

by Libertypedia May 22, 2023

Northern Idaho Double Ejection

When you ejaculate and vomit simultaneously.

Dude! I was so drunk in Couer d'Alene last night that I pulled the ole' Northern Idaho double ejection all over Saydee!

by Montel W February 12, 2024

Psychology of Elections

The study of how individuals and crowds behave during the peculiar ritual of choosing leaders—from the psychology of voting (why we vote even when our vote doesn't matter) to the psychology of campaigns (why attack ads work) to the psychology of election night (why results feel like sports scores). Elections are psychological pressure cookers: months of anxiety, hope, and fear compressed into a single day, then released in euphoria or despair. The psychology of elections explains why campaigns focus on turnout (enthusiasm matters more than persuasion), why last-minute events can shift outcomes (undecided voters are psychologically distinct), and why losing feels catastrophic even when life continues unchanged (elections become identity contests, and identity loss hurts).

Example: "She studied the psychology of elections while working on a campaign, watching voters react emotionally to policy, personally to candidates, tribally to every attack. The election wasn't about issues; it was about feelings. Her candidate won because they made people feel hope. The policy details came later, for the few who cared."

by Dumu The Void February 16, 2026

Sociology of Elections

The study of how elections function as social rituals—how they mobilize populations, create collective experiences, and produce legitimate outcomes (or fail to). Elections are not just technical processes; they're social events that bring societies together, create temporary communities of interest, and generate enormous emotional energy. The sociology of elections examines who votes and why (class, race, age, religion), how campaigns mobilize supporters (through organizations, networks, messages), and how outcomes are interpreted (as mandates, as repudiations, as fraud). It also examines what happens when elections fail to produce legitimacy—when losers don't accept results, when institutions are distrusted, when the social agreement that makes democracy possible breaks down. Elections work when society works; when society fractures, elections can break it further.

Example: "She studied the sociology of elections after a contentious vote, watching how different social groups experienced the same event completely differently. For some, it was validation; for others, theft. The election hadn't created these divisions; it had revealed them. Democracy required agreement on the process, and that agreement was gone."

by Dumu The Void February 16, 2026

Appeal to Elections

A fallacy where someone invokes election results as proof of truth or correctness. "The people have spoken" becomes a way of ending debate, as if electoral outcomes settle factual or moral questions. The fallacy lies in confusing democratic processes with epistemic ones—treating votes as evidence rather than expressions of preference. Elections measure popularity, not truth; they register opinion, not fact. Appealing to elections as proof is like appealing to a popularity contest to settle a scientific question.

"You claim the policy is harmful. But it was democratically elected—the people chose it!" That's Appeal to Elections—treating votes as evidence of correctness. Elections choose leaders, not truths. The majority can be wrong; popularity isn't proof. Democracy is about who governs, not what's true. Confusing the two is how bad policies get defended as if they were facts."

by Abzugal February 28, 2026

Argument from Elections

A related fallacy where someone argues that a position must be accepted because it was supported by election results. The structure: "X won the election, therefore X's policies are correct." The fallacy lies in moving from electoral success to epistemic authority, from votes to validity. Elections confer power, not truth. Argument from Elections is a form of appeal to popularity, dressed in democratic clothing.

"Why should we accept this policy? Because the candidate who promised it won in a landslide!" That's Argument from Elections—treating electoral victory as justification. But winning doesn't make right; it just makes powerful. Arguments from elections are arguments from authority with ballots instead of credentials."

by Abzugal February 28, 2026

Critical Theory of Elections

The application of Critical Theory to elections—examining how electoral systems are shaped by power, how they serve to legitimate inequality, and how they might be transformed. Critical Theory of Elections asks: What do elections actually do? Do they give people power, or just the feeling of power? How do campaign finance, media control, and voter suppression shape outcomes? How do elections serve to manage dissent and maintain order? Drawing on critical political theory and electoral studies, it insists that elections are never just the voice of the people—they're a system of power, with rules set by the powerful, for the powerful. Understanding elections requires understanding what they achieve—and what they prevent.

"Just vote, they say. Critical Theory of Elections asks: vote for whom? Between options set by whom? Elections matter, but they're not democracy. The real decisions—about war, about economy, about justice—happen elsewhere. Elections can legitimize a system without changing it. Critical theory insists on asking: what happens after the election? Who still has power, and who still doesn't?"

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 4, 2026