# 2008 Presidential Election Results Thread. See it here as they come in. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 4, 2008, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031 "2008-11-04T12:25:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/1 "2008-11-04T12:25:29Z")
It’s finally here, the day all the non-US dopers have been waiting for, the day of the 2008 presidential election. Will it be the Democrat Barack Obama, first mixed race US president? Or Will it be John McCain, Repubican? Post election results as they come in here: First is Dixville Notch, New Hampshire: Obama 15 McCain 6 I’ll be watching Virginia and Indiana first as well as OH, PA, NC. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/2 "2008-11-04T12:28:19Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > First is Dixiville, New Hampshire: Obama 15 McCain 6 Dixville Notch. Hart’s Location, N.H.: Obama - 17 McCain - 10 Paul - 2 Has CNN called the race yet? ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/3 "2008-11-04T12:44:19Z")
Will we get the east coast results first since their polls will close first? Can I assume all voting stations close at the same local time? How indicative is the Dixville Notch result? ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/4 "2008-11-04T12:49:30Z")
> [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](#): > > Will we get the east coast results first since their polls will close first? Can I assume all voting stations close at the same local time? How indicative is the Dixville Notch result? Many of the east coast battle ground states close early and the results will be out as they are tabulated. We should know Indiana, Virginia, Ohio right off the bat. Ohio may take some time to count unless it is a landslide. IIRC, the Dixville Notch result is quite accurate. It went to Bush in 04’. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/5 "2008-11-04T12:55:49Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > snip > > IIRC, the Dixville Notch result is quite accurate. . W00t! 😃 Dixville Notch obviously doesn’t have many people and they all vote at midnight I’ve learned, so it’s pretty unusual is it? Or are there other areas similar? I was thinking polls would close at say 9pm and results would come in after midnight in general - obviously I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/6 "2008-11-04T12:59:45Z")
I’m guessing with the record turnouts at the polls this election will be called difinitively by 11pm eastern, maybe sooner. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/7 "2008-11-04T13:00:07Z")
For those who really rally want to overanalyze - no [Dixville Notch](http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/11/is-dixville-notch-predictive.html) doesn’t indicate much. 🙂 It’s gonna be a long day waiting for real results … ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/8 "2008-11-04T13:02:30Z")
> [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](#): > > W00t! 😃 > > Dixville Notch obviously doesn’t have many people and they all vote at midnight I’ve learned, so it’s pretty unusual is it? Or are there other areas similar? I was thinking polls would close at say 9pm and results would come in after midnight in general - obviously I’m wrong. They have a tradition of voting at midnight on november 4, also they take advantage of a law(?) that allows closing the polls once every registered voter has cast his/her ballot, so they all gather at the polling place, vote at 12:00 and then the results are counted. Nate Silver from 538says Dixville results are not predictive, he seems to know his stuff. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/9 "2008-11-04T13:21:19Z")
Well, the Redskins lost last night. We all know [what _that_ means](http://bleacherreport.com/articles/77105-redskins-steelers-outcome-could-swing-2008-presidential-election). ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/10 "2008-11-04T17:59:50Z")
Virginia is, ah, going to be _bad_ this year. I’m getting all kinds of weird problem reports down there. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/11 "2008-11-04T18:34:55Z")
The swing in Dixville Notch is 44% – from 73% for Bush in 2004 to 29% for McCain in 2008 > **[Dixville Notch, New Hampshire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixville_Notch,_New_Hampshire)** > > Dixville Notch is an unincorporated community in Dixville township, Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population of the township, all of whom live in Dixville Notch, was 4 as of the 2020 census. The village is known for being one of the first places to declare its results during United States presidential elections and the New Hampshire presidential primary. It is located in the northern part of the state, approximately 20 miles (30 km) south of the Canadian province of Quebec. The... With a swing like that, Obama could take Utah. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/12 "2008-11-04T18:38:35Z")
Just wanted to subscribe to the thread so I can check it later from my phone…and add a request. Could someone put whatever results in manually? My phone doesn’t do flash, and that’s what CNN is using for all their results. Good luck everyone! -XT ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/13 "2008-11-04T21:16:00Z")
So how long until we get some results? Are the media going to report the results right away, or wait until the polls close on the west coast? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/14 "2008-11-04T21:17:25Z")
We should start getting some results around 7pm EST I should think. Aprox 5 hours if my time is correct. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/15 "2008-11-04T21:20:15Z")
> [@autz](#): > > So how long until we get some results? Are the media going to report the results right away, or wait until the polls close on the west coast? I believe the first polls close on 6PM Eastern. Results will start coming in almost immediately thereafter, with the news outlets declaring a state one way or the other using a combination of official results, exit polls, and demographic modelling. In general, blowouts will be called as soon as the polls close, while very close records can last for hours, even days. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/16 "2008-11-04T21:31:02Z")
I’m going to go out on a limb and say Obama will win D.C., though McCain may well do better than Bush did. ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/17 "2008-11-04T21:46:56Z")
I am watching the results here - [BBC US election results map](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/us_elections_2008/7697829.stm). ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/18 "2008-11-04T21:50:33Z")
Most of Indiana and Kentucky close at 6. If the vote is decisive enough these states could be called before 7. If Obama wins Indiana McCain goes on life support. Virgina, Georgia and South Carolina close at 7 pm. If Georgia or SC goes to Obama it is over for McCain. Most of Florida’s polls close at 7 along with most of New Hampshire’s. So they could be called before 8 as well. Ohio weighs in at 7:30 and Pennsylvania at 8. So by 8 we’ll know if this is going to be close or not. ETA: This is all Eastern Time. ---
**Author:** ![OneChance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/74df32/32.png) [@OneChance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneChance)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/19 "2008-11-04T21:54:42Z")
Here’s an electoral map from dailykos: [http://scoreboard.dailykos.com/map/](http://scoreboard.dailykos.com/map/) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031/20 "2008-11-04T21:56:26Z")
Obama doesn’t need Florida to win, though, so a close race there (which is very likely) doesn’t mean a close national election. I think it’d be a big surprise if Obama won Indiana or Georgia by enough that we knew within the first hour. Virginia should get called fast - but in all of these guesses, I think we’re overlooking the effects of huge turnout. If there are more ballots to count, even if it slants strongly for Obama, it may just take longer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2008-presidential-election-results-thread-see-it-here-as-they-come-in/471031.md?page=2)