News Vote Now: Polls Open in Eastern USA

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Polls have opened in the eastern USA, with many voters already participating, including those who voted early by absentee ballot. Facebook reports a significant turnout, with around 700,000 users indicating they have voted, primarily college students. Voters are experiencing varying wait times at polling places, with some reporting long lines and others minimal wait. Concerns about potential election day violence and the efficiency of voting systems, particularly electronic machines, are discussed. Overall, there's a sense of excitement and anticipation for the election results, with many hoping for a peaceful and orderly voting process.
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Okay, everybody, this is it. Polls are open now in the eastern USA. Get out there and vote, unless of course you're in an early-voting state and have done it already, and then buy some popcorn for watching the election results tonight.

I'm going to do it right after my 10:00 class.
 
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Hasn't Obama won yet?

Seriously, though, I'll be glued to the BBC tonight when the results come in!
 
jtbell said:
I'm going to do it right after my 10:00 class.
Slacker! My vote was entered 10 minutes after the polls opened.

(Hoping for a landslide!)
 
It's over! :-p

Obama wins in earliest vote in tiny NH town

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081104/ap_on_el_pr/new_hampshire_first_votes
 
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My wife and I voted weeks ago by absentee ballot. In Maine, you don't have to prove any hardship to get absentee ballots - just phone the town clerk and ask for one. They mail out the ballots and cross your name off the registrar's list just as if you had gone to the polls in person and gotten a ballot there.
 
I voted about 45 minutes ago. I had to stand in line for about a half an hour, not bad at all.

Facebook is keeping a tally of people reporting that they voted today. So far about 700,000 Facebook users (mostly college students) have voted, and it's going up at a rate of about 100 people per second.

Edit: Also, it allows you to find your nearest Ben & Jerry's store for your free election day ice cream.
 
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I'm ecstatic about this whole thing. I want Obama to win.
 
chasely said:
Edit: Also, it allows you to find your nearest Ben & Jerry's store for your free election day ice cream.

Free ice cream and free coffee? I wish that sort of thing happened during our elections!
 
Good luck to all the voters and I hope there is no violence before during or after.
 
  • #10
Alfi said:
Good luck to all the voters and I hope there is no violence before during or after.

Seconded.

As long as there's no funny stuff going on, I trust everybody will be calm.
 
  • #11
My boss took the day off to shuttle poor and elderly people to the polls.
 
  • #12
Here in Oregon, where we have vote by mail, if you didn't mail your ballot in by Friday, it won't arrive in time to be counted.(they were mailed out on the 17th of Oct.) However, we do have drop off locations where you can hand deliver your ballot until 8:00pm today. I voted early last week.
 
  • #13
Love your avatar.
 
  • #14
chasely said:
I voted about 45 minutes ago. I had to stand in line for about a half an hour, not bad at all.

Facebook is keeping a tally of people reporting that they voted today. So far about 700,000 Facebook users (mostly college students) have voted, and it's going up at a rate of about 100 people per second.

Edit: Also, it allows you to find your nearest Ben & Jerry's store for your free election day ice cream.

I voted and there was virtually no line. There were 2 ahead of me at the check-in table, and if I hadn't held the door open for them I would have had no wait at all. There were no McCain Palin signs anywhere in sight. Other placards outside were modestly represented including of course Obama Biden. Total elapsed time 5 minutes.

As I mentioned elsewhere, I got a sticker they handed out after voting that says "My Vote Counted". In the primaries the sticker only said "I voted". This message is more reassuring.
 
  • #15
chasely said:
Edit: Also, it allows you to find your nearest Ben & Jerry's store for your free election day ice cream.
Ben & Jerry's is giving away ice cream?! :frown: I'm so deprived! We don't have a Ben & Jerry's store around here. I want my free ice cream too! :cry:

Evo said:
My boss took the day off to shuttle poor and elderly people to the polls.

That's cool. Actually, now that I've realized the university here always gives the day off for election day, I was thinking I should look into being a poll worker. From the look of the little old ladies working the polls today, they could use some younger help or we won't have any poll workers soon! :bugeye:

It takes forever to vote with the electronic machines though, as you have to go through one slow page by one slow page, and of course, then I'm scrutinizing the printed tape making sure it's recording things correctly.

The local elections are quite the joke though. I had been worried I'd missed knowing about someone running for an office, because I'd only see one name advertised anywhere running for that office, and couldn't figure out what my choices were. Heh...there were no choices, that's why I couldn't find anything on any other candidates. :rolleyes: Though, I'm still desperately waiting for someone to run against our one county circuit court judge. He is so unbelievably backward, but nobody ever runs against him! He still insists on doing jury selection via an answering machine recording! Yes, answering machine. Not even voicemail, not posted on a website, but jurors have to wait until the secretary records the answering machine message at the end of the day, and then call in on the ONE phone line to hear it. :rolleyes: This isn't just that they don't have the money to do anything more updated, it's that he's so technologically challenged, he doesn't want to do it any other way. And, yep, sometimes the tape goes bad, or the secretary forgets to do the recording, and jurors don't know if they should show up or not. So, I'm just DYING for someone to run against him! Oh, he'd also prefer to make everyone come in for an extra day of jury duty on a trial rather than just stay an extra hour past 5:00 and get it done. He's really out of touch.

Just thought I'd gripe about something other than the presidential election. Just keeping my fingers crossed that people come to their senses and realize Obama isn't the golden child the media has been portraying him to be. If not, when it comes to income redistribution time, I think all Obama voters should have to redistribute their income to the McCain voters first.
 
  • #16
I've never even been to the US and I'm eagerly awaiting the results! :biggrin:
 
  • #17
Moonbear said:
If not, when it comes to income redistribution time, I think all Obama voters should have to redistribute their income to the McCain voters first.

Does that mean you will be refusing your tax cut?
 
  • #18
Thank God this is finally almost over.

I realized last night that I can cite the approximate [latest] poll results for every State, by memory.
 
  • #19
Alfi said:
Good luck to all the voters and I hope there is no violence before during or after.

Not sure I understand your post, but I'll just assume you don't live here in the US. Election day is one of the most cooperative, friendly days there is here. Long lines with people being polite and helpful, encouraging comments from everyone. We all understand how important an obligation it is to vote, and we feel good that we live in a country where we are free to do so.

Best wishes to all who vote today, and here's hoping that the outcomes go well for us all moving into the future. :smile:
 
  • #20
LowlyPion said:
Does that mean you will be refusing your tax cut?

LOL! What tax cut? Didn't you know that I'm rich! :rolleyes: I sure didn't know it, but being a single, professional, childless woman apparently makes me rich. By the time Bush's tax cuts are phased out (not something I have a problem with, by itself, I didn't think the country could afford those in the first place), and Obama's definition of middle class slides a bit lower by the time he takes office, I'd not only not have a tax cut (I'm in the "your taxes won't go up" category currently, which does not mean they'll go down either), I'm pretty sure I'll be paying more with his plan. And, who cares if I get a piddling tax cut anyway, when I'll be paying that much and more extra to heat my home in winter under his screwball energy plans. And I guess I shouldn't ask for a raise or promotion in the next four years, because I'll just pay the difference in taxes.
 
  • #21
Janus said:
Here in Oregon, where we have vote by mail, if you didn't mail your ballot in by Friday, it won't arrive in time to be counted.(they were mailed out on the 17th of Oct.) However, we do have drop off locations where you can hand deliver your ballot until 8:00pm today. I voted early last week.

I love the voting system here in Oregon. Vote by mail is fantastic.

But I keep forgetting. Yesterday I almost called Dem headquarters to offer rides for voters...
 
  • #22
Facebook votes are up to 1.5 million. I was hoping it'd get somewhere around the 10 million mark by the end of the day. That doesn't seem all that likely, but we'll see.
 
  • #23
berkeman said:
Election day is one of the most cooperative, friendly days there is here.

Yeah, we gave up election day riots sometime around the mid 1800s. I recently read an article about how elections used to be, and it was a real eye-opener. You had to supply your own ballots, or cut them out of the newspaper or something, and you had to cast them publically (no secret ballots). To get to the polling place, you often had to pass through gantlets of supporters on both sides, yelling insults at you if it looked like you were going to vote for the other guy.

Anyway, I just got back from voting and lunch. I thought I was going to beat the lunchtime rush by getting to the polling place (our local YMCA) a bit after 11:00. But it had the longest lines I've ever seen there. I had to wait twenty minutes to show my registration card and check in, then another 45 minutes to get to one of the six voting booths.

It still had that small-town atmosphere, though. (Hey, this is a small town, after all.) The women at the check-in table were the wife of one of the psychology professors, and one of my neighbors. The guy who showed me to the voting booth and activated the machine for me was the owner of the photography shop downtown where I used to take my film for processing before I went digital. I spotted at least a half-dozen people from the college waiting in line, plus a few more of my neighbors.
 
  • #24
AARRRGGHH! I can't stand the suspense, I want to know what's happening.
 
  • #25
Moonbear said:
LOL! What tax cut? Didn't you know that I'm rich! :rolleyes: I sure didn't know it, but being a single, professional, childless woman apparently makes me rich. By the time Bush's tax cuts are phased out (not something I have a problem with, by itself, I didn't think the country could afford those in the first place), and Obama's definition of middle class slides a bit lower by the time he takes office, I'd not only not have a tax cut (I'm in the "your taxes won't go up" category currently, which does not mean they'll go down either), I'm pretty sure I'll be paying more with his plan. And, who cares if I get a piddling tax cut anyway, when I'll be paying that much and more extra to heat my home in winter under his screwball energy plans. And I guess I shouldn't ask for a raise or promotion in the next four years, because I'll just pay the difference in taxes.

Two words: Universal Healthcare.
 
  • #26
Evo said:
AARRRGGHH! I can't stand the suspense, I want to know what's happening.

People are voting.

There is no Spoiler to peek under.
 
  • #27
Record number of voters expected to deluge polls
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081104/ap_on_el_pr/voting_problems
Long lines greeted voters Tuesday as polls across the country were deluged by people wanting to cast ballots in this historic race between Barack Obama and John McCain.

In the East, electronic machine glitches forced some New Jersey voters to cast paper ballots. In New York, anxious voters started lining up before dawn, prompting erroneous reports that some precincts weren't opening on time.

"By 7:30 this morning, we had as many as we had at noon in 2004," said poll worker John Ritch in Chappaqua, N.Y., where Bill and Hillary Clinton live.

In the West, California folks also faced long lines, but voting went smoothly. In Orange County, south of Los Angeles, about 400 people were on hand to deal with problems with the county's all-electronic voting system, said Brett Rowley of the registrar's office.

"We've got paper ballots as a backup," he said.

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell urged voters to "hang in there" as state and country officials braced for a huge turnout in that hotly contested state. More than 160 people were lined up when the polls opened at First Presbyterian Church in Allentown. "I could stay an hour and a half at the front end or three hours at the back end," joked Ronald Marshall, a black Democrat.

Hundreds converged on polling precincts in Missouri, a crucial battleground state. Norma Storms, a 78-year-old resident of Raytown, said her driveway was filled with cars left by voters who couldn't get into nearby parking lots.

"I have never seen anything like this in all my born days," she said. "I am just astounded." In Virginia, where a Democrat has not won the presidential race since 1964, several counties experienced paper jams and balky touch-screen devices. In Richmond, a precinct opening was delayed because the person who had the keys overslept. Hundreds of people swarming the branch library cheered when its doors finally opened.

. . . .
One for the history books! Remember what you were doing or write an entry in a diary so you can tell the grandkids or great grandkids. :biggrin:
 
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  • #28
Based on the record numbers voting, I'd put my money on BO. And I didn't even vote for him. I just can't see a bunch of new voters coming out to vote for McCain.
 
  • #29
Evo said:
AARRRGGHH! I can't stand the suspense, I want to know what's happening.
If there is one thing that can comfort you, try to remember that older voters are the bedrock of the GOP and they ALWAYS vote. It's hard for McCain to pick up additional gains in that demographic, and he may actually have lost some ground because of his meanness and his thoughtless VP pick.

We are seeing record turnouts across the nation - since the Republican base always turns out to vote, where are all the extra people coming from? Hopefully from students, first-time voters, minority groups, and the economically disadvantaged, who will trend Democratic. Also, progressive independents who haven't had what looked like attractive choices in the last couple of elections. Last, there is the fear factor. I have spoken to friends, relative, neighbors, and a common reaction is horror at the thought of President Palin.

Exit polling might be off a bit more than usual. Some people may not be able to bring themselves to vote for a mixed race candidate with a funny-sounding name, but will not admit that to poll watchers. Some life-long Republicans could vote for Obama because of the Palin fear-factor, but not wish to tell an exit-poller in a public place that they did so. There are a lot of dynamics in play this time around.
 
  • #30
What time does voting end? NY time please, this one I know how to convert to MR (my room) time.

Or just tell me how many hours to the end, so that I can use my abacus :wink:
 
  • #31
The media said they might start giving out information between 5-6pm EST.
 
  • #32
Borek said:
What time does voting end? NY time please, this one I know how to convert to MR (my room) time.

Or just tell me how many hours to the end, so that I can use my abacus :wink:

This was posted yesterday by Coin about poll closing times across the country:
http://www.swingstateproject.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3641
 
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  • #33
It ends at different places in different states, Borek. Go to CNN.com for a map of poll-closing times.
http://www.cnn.com/

Bear in mind that in most locations, the line is cut off (at the back) at poll-closing time, but that the polling places remain open until the people already in line get a chance to vote. There could be some really long nights for poll-workers this time around.
 
  • #34
If Obama wins, it'll be the first time that I am older than the president.

2004 Presidential election
Code: 
                 Bush         Kerry
Popular vote  62,040,610   59,028,444 
Percentage       50.7%        48.3%
Total Bush+Kerry = 121,069,054

2000 Presidential election
Code: 
                 Bush         Gore
Popular vote  50,456,002   50,999,897 
Percentage       47.9%        48.4%
Total Bush+Gore = 101,455,899

I wonder if close to 140 or 150 million people will vote, or more?

Numbers from Wikipedia.
 
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  • #35
Evo said:
The media said they might start giving out information between 5-6pm EST.

6 PM EST is when Indiana supposedly closes except for Gary and the SW corner.
 
  • #36
what time are the results going to be announced?
 
  • #37
Astronuc said:
If Obama wins, it'll be the first time that I am older than the president.
I hadn't thought of that! And despite your gray hair, I've got a number of years on you, too. If I send Obama a congratulatory note, should I start it out "Good job, you whippersnapper."?
 
  • #38
john16O said:
what time are the results going to be announced?
They will be announced continuously, as they are tabulated. The whole process will take several hours, but if the numbers are not very close, the race may be over for all practical purposes by as early as about 8:30-9pm EST or thereabouts.
 
  • #39
john16O said:
what time are the results going to be announced?

When the polls close in a particular state, they begin to announce results for the state.

See the map link below for those times:
http://www.swingstateproject.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3641

For National results I think they are supposed to hold off calling it for the polls to close on the West Coast. But if it's a landslide they may have difficulty keeping a lid on it. After all they all of them want to be the first to call it.
 
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  • #40
Borek said:
What time does voting end? NY time please, this one I know how to convert to MR (my room) time.

Or just tell me how many hours to the end, so that I can use my abacus :wink:

The BBC have a good rundown of the expected proceedings of the evening (for those of us that don't know too much about American politics). Times are in GMT: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/us_elections_2008/7705795.stm
 
  • #42
If McCain loses Penn., it's all over. If he wins, we might have a horse race.
 
  • #43
Could be an exciting night. I'll be reading a book - and not listening to the news.

BBC said:
Too close to call: Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana, Montana, Missouri, North Dakota, Georgia, Arizona

Swing states now and in 2004: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida
 
  • #44
lol if obama wins I am defiantly saving the newspaper tomorrow. That way 30 years down the road I can show my kids that I was around for the electing of the first black president.
 
  • #45
LowlyPion said:
For National results I think they are supposed to hold off calling it for the polls to close on the West Coast. But if it's a landslide they may have difficulty keeping a lid on it. After all they all of them want to be the first to call it.
There is no such universal policy. For instance, the NBC policy requires only that they not call a winner until 270 EVs have been passed by a single candidate. But if those votes have been called before say, Cali is done voting, they will still name the winner. That's unlikely to happen, of course, unless Obama has a great day, but there is a good chance that the winner will be called before Hawaii (and probably Alaska too) are done.
 
  • #46
Nah, I am no staying awake till 7 a.m. I am not THAT interested :smile:
 
  • #47
Borek said:
Nah, I am no staying awake till 7 a.m. I am not THAT interested :smile:

Get up early instead.
 
  • #48
jtbell said:
Okay, everybody, this is it. Polls are open now in the eastern USA. Get out there and vote, unless of course you're in an early-voting state and have done it already, and then buy some popcorn for watching the election results tonight.

I'm going to do it right after my 10:00 class.

Woop woop just voted for Obamarama!

Heres the interesting thing. I talked to a friend who him and his dad I thought would vote McCain for sure. They both voted Obama.
 
  • #49
Cyrus said:
Woop woop just voted for Obamarama!

Heres the interesting thing. I talked to a friend who him and his dad I thought would vote McCain for sure. They both voted Obama.
That IS good news. I wonder how many conservative people will look at the radical policies of the GOP for the last 8 years, and flip to Obama...
 
  • #50
yeah and I wonder how many racist people are exercising their right to vote for the first time EVER. People in their 40s who have never voted before but decide to vote today to keep a black man out of office. How many people who said they are voting for obama will second guess themselves when its time to pull the lever. I am a McCain supporter, but i think that that kind of behavior is sad. People should not vote based on skin color, but rather for whom they think is the better candidate. I think McCain will surprisingly win because of this...
 

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