Voting day in the U.S. - any special plans today?

My neighbor and I are heading to the town hall this morning to vote ( we use pencils- or pens- and paper here.... not machines!) and then we are going out to lunch.  I NEVER get to do that (go out to lunch), so I am looking forward to it.

Yesterday my phone was ringing off the hook with pollsters! 

I'll be sitting here and anxiously watching from Britain.   It might not seem like it's anything to do with us, but it so is.  There's an old saying that when America sneezes, Europe catches a cold. 

I do understand Jo.  This election affects the world too and the candidates couldn't be more different.

I look forward to doing my part - it's neck and neck..!  I just hope nothing slows up the results.

I'm just going to continue working until the results are in. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. Enjoy your lunch, Dustytoes. 

I voted absentee ballad. I work the campaign office yesterday. I'm a big fat supporter of ............. can you guess who? 

A few projects were creeping up on me today, I have dead lines... had to work today. But  I've met those deadlines as I started work at six am this morning. I might just have to head to my candidates head quarters early today. Ohhhh I do hope we have a reason to celebrate tonight, have bubbly ready! 

I'm in OHIO a huge tipping point!  The battle ground state! 

katiem2: 11/06/2012 - 08:47 AM

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I'm in OHIO a huge tipping point!  The battle ground state! 

Yup, Ohio is the one to watch, and I will be watching- until I fall asleep at 8pm :)  Then when I wake up at 2 or 3am like I always do, I'll watch some more!

@ HollieT, My fingers are crossed too...

Yeppers me too, watch till I drop and then sleep fitfully till we FINALLY get the results. I hope it's an obvious land slide. 

I'm watching from Canada. I'm a US citizen, so I sent in my ballot a couple of weeks ago. It's kind of a scary election, in my opinion. Our world is at such a bleak moment. But truth is, it always feels that way, and everything gets even more polarized at election time. I just hope that whoever gets in can work with the other side and actually get something positive done.

Katie, Ohio really is a key state. They say that whoever wins Ohio, goes to the White House.

Can I ask about the Electorate College and how that works?

I've just found out that they're the ones who actually vote in the president, which is making me wondering what everyone else is voting for, and who these people are!   I'm certain that I've missed something important in the middle there. :p

In modern times, the Electoral voters in each state have always voted the way the state votes. The US is a republic and not a democracy. That's how we can end up with a President that gets less than a majority of the vote.

Don't forget that we are still very much the United STATES of America. Most of the true power in this country is vested in state governments, according to the US constitution. The electoral votes are based on the population of a state. That's why you'll hear an obsession today with who carries Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Colorado. Those are called swing states, because it's so close in those states either could win.

Jo @ What Digby said and these states also make up enough of the vote to win the election regardless if the other candidate won the remaining states. These states are densely populated compared to the western states. They call them the battle ground states because the candidates fight hard to win these much needed states. Further more my state Ohio is a very diverse state representing about any race imaginable. The person getting the most votes per state wins the electoral vote meaning the bigger portion (most populous)  tipping the scale to win the presidency  

Thank you both for the information, but I'm still confused.   (Article in this for one of you?)

So it's not every state in the electoral college?

I currently have a mental image of, say, everyone in Montana decided to vote Squirrel Party; and the governor of Montana going, 'No, I fancy the Penguin Party instead'.   So Montana votes Squirrel.  Now I've added to that the notion that, say, Dakota isn't in the college, so everyone in Dakota and its governor can vote what they want, but their ballot is basically scrap.

(I know I could have just said Democrat and Republic, but that would have involved looking up which way Montana votes. :p )

I am also certain that I have totally misread this situation, else you'd all surely be up in arms!

Yes, Jo every state has electoral voters. Many states have also created laws that say the Electoral College Voters must go with the popular vote. It is possible in states without that law, that the electoral voters might not agree with the voters. That hasn't happened in the past hundred years or so. I think the election of 1876 might be one for you to look at. It was a tie in the electoral college. Pretty sure that was the year.

Thanks, Digby.  I've also got a capture Ohioan in Skype explaining stuff.   A Briton has just found this.

Thanks Jo, those maps that showed the influence of the electoral votes were fantastic.

Oh!  Happy days! 

Thanks America.