Live Election Day Coverage

Checking Out 2:00 p.m. EST Nov. 4

Well, my time block here is just about done. I hope everyone enjoyed it. Thanks to everyone that stopped in to follow the coverage and to the people that left comments. Hopefully everyone continues to follow the election here throughout the day.

Brief Soapbox, 1:40 p.m. EST Nov. 4

As my time here comes to a close, I just want to say one thing. Over the past couple weeks, everyone has been innundated by messages to make sure you vote. That's part of the equation, but voting just to vote is irresponsible. You owe it to yourself to make sure that you're making an informed decision. My advice is to ignore all the negative campaining and mudslinging and make your choice based on the candidate whose beliefs most match yours. You can view Barack Obama's stance on the issues here and John McCain's here.

Also, if you vote, there are a ton of other races and referendums on your ballot. Take a few minutes before you go to vote to learn about who and what you're voting for. Those races have just as much impact on your future as the big elections, so it's to your benefit to make an informed choice.

More Good News for Obama, 1:35 p.m. EST Nov. 4

Nate Silver of the website fivethirtyeight.com released his final election projections in the past hour, and he is predicting an Obama blowout tonight. One interesting trend is that the election seemed to stabilize after the second presidential debate. That debate was the "town hall meeting" which was supposed to be John McCain's specialty. Also, the undecided voters in this election seem to have been split fairly evenly, meaning they didn't make as much of an impact on this election as people might have thought.

Conservatives Picking Obama, 1:25 p.m. EST Nov. 4

A few conservative figureheads are projecting a big win for the Democrats tonight. Karl Rove, architect of the Bush administration, thinks Obama will win 338-200 tonight. Meanwhile, conservative columnist George Will thinks tonight could get ugly for Republicans.

The Internet Election, 1:15 p.m. EST Nov. 4

Arianna Huffington declares that the real winner of this election is the internet. This is the first real election since the Blogosphere became a major player and I think it's had a huge impact on the election.

What to Watch For, Pt. 2 1:00 p.m. ESTNov. 4

Politico.com is one of the more respected, non-partisan political websites. They've got a good article on things to watch for tonight as the results start piling in.

Poor Driving Slows Voting in St. Paul, 12:50 p.m. EST Nov. 4

A car crashed into a utility poll in St. Paul, Minnesota this morning temporarily knocking out power at one polling place. Voters were undeterred, however. Minnesota traditionally has one of the country's highest voter turnouts, thanks in large part to their same-day voter registration that allows potential voters to register at their polling place.

Voting Slowing Down 12:40, p.m. EST Nov. 4

After some incredibly long lines this morning, CNN is going to various field reporters at polling places, and lines have dwindled down to next to nothing. This isn't that surprising. A lot of people try to vote before work, or after work, with the middle of the day being a bit of a dead time. If you have the option, do yourself, and your fellow voters a favor and go vote now, during a quiet time, as opposed to adding to the clog that should occur in the final voting hours today.

McCain Still Working; Watching, 12:30 p.m. Nov. 4

According to CNN, John McCain will still be working right down to the wire on election day. He'll be making a few final campaign stops in states in the western United States before going back to his election night party at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix. Usually, McCain chooses to go to the movies on an election night. Then again, the stakes have never been this high for him.

The Obama Campaign, 12:15 p.m., Nov. 4

Barack Obama news has been been fairly slow over my time period here. His campaign did put out a lengthy blog post, however, with some newspaper front pages from around the country.

Meanwhile, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson is on MSNBC talking about Barack Obama, and the interests of Hispanic voters. Hispanic voters are becoming a huge voting block, and could make a huge difference in close states throughout the southwest in this election. Richardson was very non-committal on if he'd take a cabinet spot in an Obama White House.

Reporting the News

Fox News' Brit Hume just brought up an interesting point on Fox News. If, in fact, this race is not very close, and a candidate is projected to be over 270 electoral votes early in the evening, that could have a big effect on results in western states where the polls close later. It may not mean much in the presidential election, but there are other critical Congressional races and state referendums on the ballot in western states.

E-Voting Problems, 12:00 p.m., Nov. 4

A number of key swing states are having problems with electronic voting machines.

What to Watch For, 11:55, Nov. 4

MSNBC had some things to watch out for later tonight as results start to come in. The first will be the battleground state of Virginia, which is typically a Republican stronghold, though has been very close in the polls. If McCain loses there, he'd need to win the "triangle" of Ohio-Pennsylvania-Florida to have a chance at winning the election. There's also the issue of if the Democrats can reach their veto-proof 60 seat majority in the Senate. Here in Minnesota, we've had the one of the country's ugliest Senate campaigns with Norm Coleman and Al Franken. And finally, if tonight doesn't go well for the Republicans, and they carry very little outside of their stronghold in the Deep South, the GOP may have to do some serious soul-searching and reconfiguring after this election.

Kid's Poll, 11:45 a.m. Nov. 4

Barack Obama has won Scholastic Presidential Poll for children in grades 1-12. It may not seem like much, but the winner of the Kid's Poll has won the general election every election since 1940, save for two exceptions(Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy).

Palin Speaks, 11:25 a.m. Nov. 4

Sarah Palin gave a brief press conference, with husband Todd at her side. She described the right to privacy as "a really cool thing about America". She gave the media a bit of an "I told you so" after the report that she had been cleared of any wrongdoing in the Troopergate scandal.

McCain Votes, 11:20 a.m., Nov. 4

John McCain just voted in Arizona. No word on who he voted for.

Football; 11:15 a.m., Nov. 4

One odd election trend is that almost without fail, if the Washington Redskins win their final home before a presidential election, the incumbent party wins the election. Luckily for Barack Obama, the Redskins lost at home last night

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Waiting for Palin;

11:10 a.m., Nov. 4

Regardless of how you feel about her politics, it's impossible to deny the star power of Sarah Palin. Both CNN and Fox News were breathlessly waiting for her to show up at her Wasilla polling place. Palin showed up in a folksy Carhartt jacket, though with professionally styled hair. Immediately after voting, she'll head to Arizona to spend the day working with John McCain.

Video of the candidates voting has been a popular TV topic today. Barack Obama and Joe Biden voted earlier this morning, while John McCain won't vote until later today. We've also had video of Hilary Clinton and Bill Ayers voting.

Fun Facts 11:00 a.m. Nov. 4

This is the first presidential election without a Bush or Clinton on the ticket since 1980. It is the first election without a Yale graduate on the ticket since 1968.

The Slow Part of the Day; 10:55 a.m. Nov. 4

It can be tough filling 24 hours of news per day, especially early in the day when there isn't a lot happening in terms of the election. CNN just had an interview with The Naked Cowboy that plays his guitar in Times Square. Fox News has shown the Wasilla polling place where Sarah Palin will cast her vote multiple times, in anticipation of her showing up to vote. There's been reports that she just bought herself, and her Secret Service coffee. When they come back, they're going to delve into why we vote on Tuesday.

Avoid the Exit Polls; 10:45 a.m. Nov. 4

Election guru Nate Silver has an article up on why you should avoid exit polls. The biggest reason seems to be that they have a large margin of error, and tend to lean Democratic, especially in the case of Barack Obama. So nobody should be popping champagne or jumping off a bridge based on early returns.

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Monitoring the Polls;

10:40 a.m., Nov. 4

We've heard a lot about various polls and have heard endless debates about their accuracy over the past few months, but rarely hear anything about them after the election. One website is monitoring every projection to determine who had the most accurate predictions this election season.

Free Stuff!; 10:30 a.m. Nov. 4

In a growing trend, a lot of companies are now offering free items if you show up with an 'I Voted' sticker. Starbucks is giving out free coffee (I got mine this morning and it was delicious). Krispy Kreme is giving out a free doughnut. And if you vote later in the day, you can get a a free scoop of Ben and Jerry's ice cream

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Possible Scenarios;

10:25 a.m. Nov. 4

Carl M. Cannon of Reader's Digest had an interesting article detailing some possible scenarios for this election. I think Scenario 1 is the most likely, though I don't ever see John McCain taking a cabinet position. If McCain does not win this election, I thnk he may serve out his Senate term and bow out gracefully from the political world.

Last Minute Mudslinging; 10:20 a.m., Nov. 4

In the final hours before this election is decided, independent groups have been running some last minute ads aimed at discrediting Barack Obama. I've now seen a commercial featuring Reverend Jeremiah Wright at every commercial break on both CNN and Fox News. If McCain were pull off what most would consider an upset, these last minute ads may be one of the factors that people point to.

Voting Troubles; 10:15 a.m., Nov. 4

After issues in the past two elections, it appears that problems with voting are becoming the bread and butter of the mainstream television media. Most coverage has focused on the long lines voters are facing in what, so far, appears to be unprecedented voter turnout, and problems with voting machines that could keep people from voting. There seems to be the usual minor problems associated with any large undertaking, but otherwise, nothing major that could swing a national election. Issues have ranged from upstate New York's byzantine voting machines breaking down, to the rain ruining some ballots in North Carolina.

CNN has set up a hotline for people to call if they experience any issues at their polling place. The number is; 1-877-GOCNN -08

You Can Bet On It; 10:10 a.m.. Eastern time, Nov. 4

For those that needed a little extra drama in their election, it was actually possible to place a bet on this election. If the bookmakers in Vegas know anything, Barack Obama is the heavy favorite to win this election. The odds, according to Bodog.com, on Obama winning the election were -875(meaning a bet of $875 would win $100), while McCain's odds were +475(a bet of $100 would win $475). In gambling terms, that would make Obama a pretty huge favorite.

Welcome to Live Election Coverage; 10 a.m., Eastern time, Nov. 4

Hello, and welcome to my 4-block of live Election Day coverage. We won't start seeing results until later tonight when polls start to close, but there's still lots going on around the country that will be interesting to watch.