On pins and needles awaiting the results of November's election, or falling asleep combing through the latest polling data? The answer might be more convenient than you think.
The 7-Eleven chain of stores is running a fourth "7-Election" campaign to predict the winner of the 2012 presidential election. While the method - having customers select either a red Romney or blue Obama cup for their coffee - is decidedly unscientific, the results in previous installments have closely mirrored those of the last two elections, and accurately predicted the winner in all three.
| 2000 Election | 7-Election | U.S. Voters |
| George W. Bush* | 21%** | 47.9% |
| Al Gore | 20%** | 48.4% |
| 2004 Election | 7-Election | U.S. Voters |
| George W. Bush* | 51% | 50.7% |
| John Kerry | 49% | 48.3% |
| 2008 Election | 7-Election | U.S. Voters |
| John McCain | 46% | 45.7% |
| Barack Obama* | 52% | 52.9% |
| *Elected. **In the 2000 7-Election, all cup sales, including unmarked “nonpartisan” cups, were tallied. In subsequent years, only the candidate cups were included in the results. |
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UPC codes are scanned at the register and results are tallied at the end of each day on the campaign's website.
7-Eleven, Inc. President and CEO Joe DePinto said in a press release, “While we have never billed 7-Election as scientific or statistically valid, it is astounding just how accurate this simple count-the-cups poll has been – election after election. We have had a lot of fun with it, and I hope we have encouraged people how important it is to vote in the real election.”
Not every state participates in the 7-Election, but an interactive map allows viewers to get specific voting percentages, down to the city level. As for states that traditionally skew blue or red, there are provisions made so a coffee fan doesn't have to jump party lines for their java fix. A spokesperson for the company told Eatocracy that 7-Eleven forecasts the cup’s quantities based on the past elections and makes adjustments where necessary.
For those who wish to opt out of advertising their political predilections, 7-Eleven also offers up its regular (“undecided”) cup. Remaining non-partisan might not prove to be the most popular option, though; in each of the past 7-Election polls, more than six million candidate cups were tallied.
The chain also offers star-shaped red or blue donuts as running mates with the beverage "ballots" but they only count toward customers' daily sugar intake - not the national tally.
Hungry for more election coverage? Head to CNN.com/election or catch up on Eatocracy's tasty campaign trail news
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