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THREAD on the #PipeBurst
I'm going to try to piece things together as best I can
Please jump in with any corrections or additional relevant links, and archive all links
So, the story seems to begin with this stealth-updated AJC article
https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/fulton-election-results-delayed-after-pipe-bursts-in-room-with-ballots/4T3KPQV7PBEX3JVAIGJBNBSVJY/
I'm going to try to piece things together as best I can
Please jump in with any corrections or additional relevant links, and archive all links
So, the story seems to begin with this stealth-updated AJC article
https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/fulton-election-results-delayed-after-pipe-bursts-in-room-with-ballots/4T3KPQV7PBEX3JVAIGJBNBSVJY/
The leak (not a "pipe burst" and definitely not a "water main break") occurred sometime around 5.30a on Election Day. It was officially reported at 6.07a, and completely fixed by 8.07a
For as yet undetermined reasons, this was not mentioned at a 10a press conference
For as yet undetermined reasons, this was not mentioned at a 10a press conference
In fact the first mention of the "pipe burst" appears to be the NYT Live Blog at 7.59p
This lines up with the timestamps on the text messages first reported in Australian media https://web.archive.org/web/20201104005653/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/11/03/us/election-day#a-burst-pipe-will-delay-the-tally-in-fulton-county-ga-officials-say
This lines up with the timestamps on the text messages first reported in Australian media https://web.archive.org/web/20201104005653/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/11/03/us/election-day#a-burst-pipe-will-delay-the-tally-in-fulton-county-ga-officials-say
So we have our first mystery: the "pipe burst" story does not appear to have begun circulation *AT ALL* prior to ~7.30p ET
Why did it start circulating then? Why was it not mentioned at the 10a press conference? Who first mentioned it, and to whom?
https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/us-politics/slow-leak-text-messages-cast-doubt-on-georgia-officials-burst-pipe-excuse-for-pause-in-counting/news-story/19176f5113512210517c82debe684392
Why did it start circulating then? Why was it not mentioned at the 10a press conference? Who first mentioned it, and to whom?
https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/us-politics/slow-leak-text-messages-cast-doubt-on-georgia-officials-burst-pipe-excuse-for-pause-in-counting/news-story/19176f5113512210517c82debe684392
Second mystery: it is not at all clear what, precisely, the actual impact of the "pipe burst" was in terms of delay
This NYT piece from 11.09p (to which we will return) notes that it caused a "four hour" delay. Really? Is this reflected in the update data? If so, where?
This NYT piece from 11.09p (to which we will return) notes that it caused a "four hour" delay. Really? Is this reflected in the update data? If so, where?
So here we have our first answers. AJC stealth-edited another page. "Election Law Blog" references the "four hour delay" in a link to an AJC article (apparently unarchived) on the "pipe burst" that still exists, but no longer mentions the four hour delay:
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=118144
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=118144
Compare the cited text (as of 4.39p!) to the AJC article as it currently exists:
So this is already very interesting. The original AJC article on the "pipe burst" mentioned a "four hour delay." This "four hour delay" is repeated by the NYT in their 11.09p update (see below). But the "four hour delay" has been memoryholed by the AJC, never mentioned again
Can't find it now (will add to this specific tweet later) but I saw video with Fulton Cty Elec Commish Robert Pitts saying that the leak caused a delay of approximately "4,000" absentee ballots
Is 1000 absentee ballots/hr the standard rate? Where is the "four hours" coming from?
Is 1000 absentee ballots/hr the standard rate? Where is the "four hours" coming from?
Or perhaps it's 40,000 and I'm misremembering. Doesn't actually change the issue here:
the consistent story, echoed by NYT, is that the "pipe burst" causes a "four hour delay," and most (but not all) media outlets report that THIS DELAY is the reason why counting won't be done
the consistent story, echoed by NYT, is that the "pipe burst" causes a "four hour delay," and most (but not all) media outlets report that THIS DELAY is the reason why counting won't be done
in other words, construing in their favor, the claim here isn't that the "pipe burst" *HAPPENED* at 11p (though of course we all remember this is how it was being reported at the time)
it's that the *EARLIER DELAY* prevented all the ballots from being counted on Election Night
it's that the *EARLIER DELAY* prevented all the ballots from being counted on Election Night
I mean just look at the AJC headline here and read the first line: "a broken water pipe... caused a delay in Fulton County's ability to process thousands of absentee-by-mail votes Tuesday night."
That was the claim
https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/fulton-election-results-delayed-after-pipe-bursts-in-room-with-ballots/4T3KPQV7PBEX3JVAIGJBNBSVJY/
That was the claim
https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/fulton-election-results-delayed-after-pipe-bursts-in-room-with-ballots/4T3KPQV7PBEX3JVAIGJBNBSVJY/
HOWEVER! This truly bizarre article, which has been stealth-updated a number of times, concludes by noting a claim from Fulton that there was a pre-existing (though unexplained) "plan" to "stop scanning absentee ballots" at 10.30p, presumably irrespective of any "pipe burst"
So let's review the sequence of events so far:
~6a: leak happens
~8a: leak fixed
~5p: leak 1st reported to media; "caused four hour delay" [WHEN?]
10.30p: absentee ballot counting stops, allegedly per unspecified pre-existing "plan"
~6a: leak happens
~8a: leak fixed
~5p: leak 1st reported to media; "caused four hour delay" [WHEN?]
10.30p: absentee ballot counting stops, allegedly per unspecified pre-existing "plan"
This "plan" is hugely problematic (see below), but the 11pm halt is for another thread
In any case I hope everyone sees the obvious logical contradiction: if there were already a plan to stop counting, of what possible relevance is the "pipe burst"? https://mobile.twitter.com/realDharmapala/status/1334897506061340673
In any case I hope everyone sees the obvious logical contradiction: if there were already a plan to stop counting, of what possible relevance is the "pipe burst"? https://mobile.twitter.com/realDharmapala/status/1334897506061340673
That is: why would AJC, NYT, et al. report the "pipe burst" as *JUSTIFICATION* for a pre-planned delay in reporting results?
*EVEN IF* the leak caused a "four hour delay," so what? They claim they never planned to be done counting on Election Night, and would stop at 10.30!
*EVEN IF* the leak caused a "four hour delay," so what? They claim they never planned to be done counting on Election Night, and would stop at 10.30!
We will discuss the stop at 10.30 in another thread. To conclude this one, let's put together what we know and hypothesize what really happened:
First, the fact that they didn't mention the leak at 10a press conference strongly indicates it was so minor it didn't cause any delay
First, the fact that they didn't mention the leak at 10a press conference strongly indicates it was so minor it didn't cause any delay
As the numbers came in through the day, they realized they were in big trouble
They figured, not unreasonably, that they would need a four hour window in the middle of the night to manufacture the requisite number of fraudulent absentee ballots
They figured, not unreasonably, that they would need a four hour window in the middle of the night to manufacture the requisite number of fraudulent absentee ballots
Through a combination of media strategy and ineptness, this turned into afternoon reports that a four hour delay had *ALREADY* occurred. Oops! Idiots! We were telling you there will be a delay *TONIGHT*. Better memory hole that fast!
