In elections, numbers don’t lie

by J Scott Christianson, Columbia Daily Tribune Columnist

Last Tuesday’s election was all about the numbers for my fellow political junkies and me. Votes, dollars and percentages. I think I wore out my Web browser’s refresh button checking the races.

I was surprised to see the television networks call some of the East Coast races entirely on the exit poll data — before any votes had been counted. Can you imagine what it was like to be a loser in those races? You walk into your election night party and are quickly pulled aside by an aide who informs…