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Comment by M_Grey | Hacker News Reader

And here I thought Trump won because of record low voter turnouts.

Everyone has a theory.

For a little context, some rough voter totals going back to 2000 (in millions):

While, certainly, there were less votes cast than the last two elections, it doesn't appear to be a record low.

Edit: Sources are Google for 2016 and Wikipedia for the rest.

Don't forget to factor in population growth (above 18 years of age) from 2000 to 2016. Is it enough of a factor to make 2016 the record low? I don't know.

The current popular vote total stands at 127MM votes cast, and the Attorney General of California has already announced that they have at least 3MM absentee and provisional ballots to check, so it's expected that turnout will exceed 2012's 129MM votes cast.

Forgive me for going off-topic here but I'm curious about your reason for using MM to designate 'million'?

I think in the financial industry, particularly in the US, MM is often used to signify millions. MM is also one million in Roman numerals (1000(M) x 1000(M)).

I don't think there's any hard and fast rules globally how one specifies "millions":

https://www.quora.com/What-should-be-the-abbreviation-for-mi...

Wouldn't it be 2000 in Roman numerals?

I thought that too, but there's an implied multiplier. I'm guessing it's one of those examples of borrow and abuse things.

Roman numerals use implied addition and subtraction, not multiplication.

MM may signify million in some contexts, but not in Roman numerals.

> Roman numerals use implied addition and subtraction, not multiplication.

I already agreed to that fact; whilst reluctant to invoke "appeal to authority", I know how Roman numerals work, I studied Latin and Classical Studies. I also said "I'm guessing it's one of those examples of borrow and abuse things".

> MM may signify million in some contexts

I already stated that: I think in the financial industry, particularly in the US, MM is often used to signify millions - I didn't mean everywhere, that was just one example where it's sometimes used.

From my fairly lengthy google searching the rough consensus is that MM has been hijacked from Roman numerals and that there's an implied multiplier. Whether you like it or not, it's just how it is.

Sorry if you took my post the the wrong way. While the use of it was likely inspired by Roman numerals, I read your post as indicating that it actually did mean one million in Roman numerals and wanted to be clear that it did not as I was likely not the only one to understand your post that way.

000's, MM, Bn, Tn, - how to spot a banker :) (I interned at an ibank, not criticizing)

Exactly this. I interned at a pension fund, but now refuse to work in the financial industry.

low turnout is just a symptom. the cause was weak enthusiasm for a candidate that didnt emotionally resonate with the public, and had no simple, strong messsage about what she would do.

on the other hand, you had enough enthusiasm from trump's side that they more than compensated for "normal" Republican voters that hated him.

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