Policy, shmolicy: Election Day weather and football victories could decide the election

Bad weather, including rain or snow, tends to suppress voter turnout. Gregory Adams/Moment/Getty Images by Mark Robert Rank, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis The current presidential race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is shaping up to be an extremely tight contest. Any number of last-minute factors might earn votes for one candidate or the other. Late-breaking economic news, international conflicts, personal gaffes or revelations – all may be enough to tilt the election. There are also factors that have absolutely nothing to do with the candidates themselves or national and international conditions, but can affect a close election. These are what you might call the random factors. The most prominent of these wild cards is the weather on Election Day. As I say in my recent book, “The Random Factor,” the weather is notoriously difficult to predict because of its random nature. Yet it can have a decisive influence on who wins and loses in a close election. Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the Republican presidential nominee, watches the election returns with his wife, Laura, and others at the governor’s mansion in Austin on Nov. 8, 2000. David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images Fair-weather friends Research has...