Romney earned zero votes in some urban precincts

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The Phildadelphia Inquirer reported today that, in 59 precincts in inner-city Philadelphia, the GOP nominee received not a single vote. And according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, nine precincts in Cleveland returned zero Romney votes.

At first blush, it seems almost impossible: how, even in some of the most heavily Democratic strongholds in the country, could a major party’s presidential candidate fail to earn even one vote?

Incredulous Republicans might be tempted to indict voter fraud as a culprit - in reaction to the numbers, Steve Miskin, a spokesman for Republicans in Pennsylvania’s state legislature touted the state’s voter ID law, which did not apply to last Tuesday’s election, and avowed a need to “continue ensuring the integrity of the ballot.”

But, as is often the case, the reality is less salacious than the conspiracy theory - a consequence of demography, not electoral shenanigans.

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