Nearly everyone who follows politics online knows about the New York Times election needle, the predictor that many watched swing from a likely Hillary Clinton presidency to a Donald Trump victory on the night of Nov. 8, 2016.
When it was used during the last presidential election, it became a focal point of some people’s frustration and anxiety.
Well, now it appears it will be back, as the 2018 midterm elections are just over two weeks away.
Columbia Journalism Review reports that the election needle will return, “in the hope of contextualizing results from far-off districts within the broader congressional map.”
#Break: The NYT election needle is coming back, baby! https://t.co/Fc5IsTZZCd pic.twitter.com/suhmdav6yb
— David Uberti (@DavidUberti) October 18, 2018
The needle was also used in several elections since the 2016 presidential election, as CBS News pointed out, but it appears the high-profile nature of the upcoming midterms has caused people to make their opinions known about it.
The response to the return of the needle—in a race where many Democrats hope they can take control of the House of Representatives and perhaps even the Senate—has people relieving their past experiences with it.
https://twitter.com/andreagonram/status/1052930267139190784
There’s an entire generation of people who hear “I’m afraid of needles” and don’t think of flu shots first. https://t.co/Un9U4GKpHw
— Lily Herman (@lkherman) October 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/JessicaValenti/status/1052920089090101248
Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds. https://t.co/IRcpkzJBWj
— Michael Del Moro (@MikeDelMoro) October 18, 2018
Oh, good. If there’s one thing I was desperately wanting, it was to revisit the visual manifestation of my 2016 election night grief and despair. https://t.co/cvkCHrgI8S
— Daniel Summers (@WFKARS) October 18, 2018
WHAT COULD GO WRONG?! https://t.co/Y5I3q9GvOC
— Andrew Strauss (@straussanator) October 18, 2018
raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized by the NYT election needle https://t.co/wDJekLqnO4
— Leah Greenberg (@Leahgreenb) October 18, 2018
The NYT election needle is my Halloween costume. https://t.co/SwTmuOHpvu
— Jordan Meehan (@JordanMeehan) October 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/drooliet/status/1052921516512473094
The needle tears a hole
— Jeanie is clearly a Parody (@JFDjinn313) October 18, 2018
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything https://t.co/1xgHzyKzzL
The good: this is an awesome tool to follow during elections
— Michael Mead, PhD (@DrMichaelMead) October 18, 2018
The bad: each minute I watch this increases my risk for heart disease by 2% https://t.co/qKnzVMp68R
Get ready.
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