The table is strange because you forgot about autoformatting. When you put HTML code into a comment and leave the format pull-down menu (between the Preview and Post buttons) as Auto Format, your line breaks will be converted into HTML line breaks (e.g. <br> tags). So when you write the HTML code of a table with line breaks between table row closing and opening tags (between </tr> and <tr>), and post it this way, browsers will interpret those misplaced <br> tags as all being above the table.

So, you should do one of two things in the future:

1) eliminate line breaks from tables, e.g. write it like this:

<table><tr><td>First Column</td><td>Second Column</td></tr> <tr><td>Party 1</td><td>x %</td></tr> <tr><td>Party 2</td><td>y %</td></tr></table>

2) Choose "HTML Formatted" in the pull-down menu; but then don't forget to (A) add HTML paragraph breaks (<p>) between your paragraphs, and (B) check and re-set the pull-down menu to Auto Format in your next comment or diary.

Note: when you edit an already posted diary of yours, you will note that there is an automatic change from autoformat to HTML. (Hence no strange extra space for the table you added to the diary.) That is, HTML paragraph breaks should not be forgotten in updates.

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}