A comma splice or comma fault is the use of a comma to join two independent clauses.
For example: It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark.
The comma splice is sometimes used in literary writing to convey a particular mood of informality.
Another example: The sun is high, put on some sunblock.
The presidential election of 1876 led to the end of Reconstruction. Samuel Tilden outpolled Rutherford Hayes to win the popular vote. Tilden had 184 electoral votes to Hayes' 165 and 20 votes were uncounted. These 20 electoral votes were in dispute: in Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina. Each party reported its candidate had won the state, while in Oregon one elector was declared illegal and replaced. The 20 disputed electoral votes were eventually awarded to Hayes after a bitter legal and political battle. This gave Hayes the victory.
No, I don't think it is a rhetorical device
