The first time it happened that I can recall was back in 2000, when (eventually) The Chimp was selected rather than Al Gore. There were days of parsing what they called "hanging chads" in Florida, which they told us were the fulcrum that would determine which of the two was ultimately officially selected.

"Hanging chads" sounds like a great name for a gay porn video.

Of course, it is always a selection – one that we don't get to make. It is a selection made by Inner Party (to borrow from Orwell) apparatchiks, who then present their selection to the Outer Party. Examples that come to mind are the selection of Kamala Harris and – more recently – the sister of "Lady Bugs" Graham in South Carolina. After they are selected, the Proles (again from Orwell, the general electorate) are permitted the opportunity to select either of the two selections already made for them. There is no option to select None of the Above, because that would risk a real selection. The selectors have got to have a veneer of legitimacy, which they get via the illusion of choice (a thing that is very different than selecting from pre-selected alternatives, both of them fundamentally the same).

It seems the selectors have come up with a new way to burnish the veneer. It is to drag the results of the selection out for days or weeks and sometimes, months. This creates high drama, for openers. It keeps the rubes on the edge of their seats, wondering whether it will be Tweedledee or Tweedledum. It's something akin to Sportsball and the way some people invest (and dissipate) emotional energy sufficient to power a small town were it converted into useful energy on 4th and ten or (more aptly) will it go into overtime? Well, who cares whether it does? How does the outcome benefit you – the fan? Yet some fans exult and some fall into depression depending on which team wins.

Selections are based on the same model.  Whip up the crowd; get 'em hollering! It causes them to ascribe meaning to this show.