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openelections / openelections-core

Core repo for election results data acquisition, transformation and output.
MIT License
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Two elections on same day or one election? #26

Closed fgregg closed 10 years ago

fgregg commented 10 years ago

We looking at an election board that seems to think of a Republican Primary as a different election than a Democratic Primary even though they are held on the same day.

What's the thinking in this project?

dwillis commented 10 years ago

In our project we're considering an election as an event with one or more contests held on one or more days. A Republican primary and a Democratic primary are different contests under our model, but they are held on the date of the primary election. So it depends on how you define election, but just because it is held on the same day does not necessarily mean two contests are the same election. For example, the date of November general elections could also contain a special general election for the same seat (for vacant Senate seats, for example).

fgregg commented 10 years ago

Could you expand more. In your example, November general elections and a special general election are different elections even thought they are held on the same day and some of the same polling places?

dwillis commented 10 years ago

Yes. For example, in 2010 West Virginia had a regularly scheduled U.S. Senate election to fill the term beginning in 2011, plus a special election to fill the remaining 7 weeks until 2011. Both elections, for separate seats in the same job), occurred on the same day.

But one party primary is definitely different than another since party primaries might be conducted under slightly different rules (some parties allow only registered members of that party to vote in primaries, while others allow voters of any party affiliation to vote in primaries).

fgregg commented 10 years ago

Boy, I'm confused. From you last comment it sounds like you are saying that in this project republican and democratic primaries should not be considered the same election.

Maybe you are saying things are ambiguous. If so, I agree, but have you decided your policy?

dwillis commented 10 years ago

It depends on how you define "election." For our purposes, an election is a single event with one or more contests. As in, the general election in Nov. 2012 or the Maryland primary election. Multiple party primaries held on the same day are part of the same election (as we define it), but are separate contests. Make sense?

fgregg commented 10 years ago

I guess I don't see the distinction between the two party primary case and the 'general election', 'special general election' case.

Seems like latter case is also a 'single event with one or more contests'

On Thu, Nov 21, 2013 at 8:17 PM, Derek Willis notifications@github.comwrote:

It depends on how you define "election." For our purposes, an election is a single event with one or more contests. As in, the general election in Nov. 2012 or the Maryland primary election. Multiple party primaries held on the same day are part of the same election (as we define it), but are separate contests. Make sense?

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/openelections/core/issues/26#issuecomment-29044118 .

773.888.2718 2231 N. Monticello Ave Chicago, IL 60647

dwillis commented 10 years ago

The distinction is that the two party primary on the same day is a regularly scheduled event. The general/special on the same day definitely is not - only the general is regularly scheduled, while the special is only held if needed (and could, in fact, be held on a different day). Of course, parties can choose to schedule their primaries on different days, too.

fgregg commented 10 years ago

If the primaries were not held on the same day, would they be part of the same election?

On Thu, Nov 21, 2013 at 8:25 PM, Derek Willis notifications@github.comwrote:

The distinction is that the two party primary on the same day is a regularly scheduled event. The general/special on the same day definitely is not - only the general is regularly scheduled, while the special is only held if needed (and could, in fact, be held on a different day). Of course, parties can choose to schedule their primaries on different days, too.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/openelections/core/issues/26#issuecomment-29044391 .

773.888.2718 2231 N. Monticello Ave Chicago, IL 60647

dwillis commented 10 years ago

Under our project, no.

fgregg commented 10 years ago

Okay, let me see if I understand the policy

  1. an 'event' is an specific period during which voters can vote in particular contests
  2. all contests that are regularly scheduled to occur during the same event are part of the same election, and an election consists of all the contests regularly scheduled to occur during the event

Is that right?

On Thu, Nov 21, 2013 at 8:57 PM, Derek Willis notifications@github.comwrote:

Under our project, no.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/openelections/core/issues/26#issuecomment-29045516 .

773.888.2718 2231 N. Monticello Ave Chicago, IL 60647

dwillis commented 10 years ago

You got it. But that's just the definition we're using.