I’m sure that the TV coverage in the US will be massive next week on election day and that most of you will follow on election night using that medium. But what about us furriners? For many of us this election, while not as important as it is to you, is still high on our list of very important events.
My plan is to follow on the internet but the thought came to me that I don’t want to google on the night. The signal to noise ratio at that time would contraindicate that course of action.
Is there a site that will be devoted exclusively to election coverage and the results as they come to hand?
In addition to those two, almost every major broadcast or newspaper site will have blogs, live chats or some sort of continuing updated coverage. If there’s a favorite U.S. newspaper site you like, you’ll find plenty of coverage there.
Don’t worry. Finding up to the minute information won’t be a problem.
I found during the primaries that CNN had the best website for in-depth information.
Last night, I found a nice map on foxnews.com that had a great state-by-state, county-by-county map set up and ready to go. Unfortunately, I can’t link to it because I don’t remember quite where it was and it wouldn’t load on this computer.
I found during the primaries that CNN had the best website for in-depth information.
Last night, I found a nice map on foxnews.com that had a great state-by-state, county-by-county map set up and ready to go. Unfortunately, I can’t link to it because I don’t remember quite where it was and it wouldn’t load on this computer.
Not to mention that it has Obama behind McCain, opposite of about 99% of other polls, just do a little mental arithmatic on those blue numbers and see how they match up with the huge headline totals over the candidates predictions.
Even MSNBC uses NBC’s pollsters and their predictions are pretty conservative compared to most polls.
I would prefer a neutral site to follow the election. If Fox News are not objective in their coverage, the enjoyment of the learning experience would be dampened for me.
Any other suggestions? I like the idea of the map set up and ready to go that jsgoddess linked to but have been warned off Fox News by others.
Fox News isn’t neutral in their on-air info. But I don’t remember any shenanigans about their online data like that map. It’s just data tallying, not anything editorial.
I don’t know what Nate Silver of www.fivethirtyeight.com will be doing for the election coverage, but his site is very neat with stats on the polls. And I imagine that the bloggers at MSNBC’s First Read will be blogging the returns.
So that gives you a good selection of different ways of talking about the returns.
I would have to agree with CNN or MSNBC.
Yes, they have more or less been predicting an Obama victory for several weeks now, but they are basing those predictions on polls from everywhere, including Fox News polls.
Just to let you “furriners” know, it has been a big debate on when to call the election because of time zones in the US. The reason is that if they call it too soon, while California and other western states are still voting, it might make people in the West less inclined to go to the polls and vote for other important issues and candidates. They got lots of flack in the past for doing just that and have promised never to do it again.
Thus, even though most news sources might be able to make an accurate prediction fairly early in the evening, and be biting the bit to do just that, they have to sit on their hands and patiently wait until the polls close in the West.
It is going to be difficult for some pundits to shut up for those couple of hours. I expect of lot of subtle “wink wink” going on while trying to kill time.
Assuming there are no huge surprises in polls vs. results, don’t be surprised if Obama is declared the winner 1/2 second after the polls close on the entire west coast.
That’s a bit of a pity though I understand the rationale. It is hardly inconvenient to me as I live in Australia and it will be around midday (noon or thereabouts) when the polls close on the West Coast. I’ll have to check out time though as I believe you lot switch to standard time from daylight savings time this weekend? That is generally a shock to me as I am generally unprepared. Currently I am fourteen hours ahead of you (Eastern Daylight Savings time ) . When you go to standard time I’ll be fifteen hours ahead.
I wouldn’t be surprised if savvy news organizations in other countries announce the outcome far sooner than officially declared here in the US. But if you are following just CNN or MSNBC in the US, as mentioned, you might have to wait a few hours longer to get the “official” US news agencies results.
Again, this is assuming current polls pan out and certain states on the east coast go as predicted, or better, for Obama. If not, well - all bets are off and you might have to wait for the west coast to finish like everyone here will have to wait.
If you’re interested in what will probably be somewhat “lighthearted” coverage of the elections Leo Laporte (a tech talkshow host in the US) is planning on webcasting coverage on his Twit Live site. Given that this is the first time he’s done it, I’ve no idea what it will be like, though he’ll certainly have a lot less of the blathering talking heads that the networks are wont to have these days. (I gotta say, however, I’m gonna miss the bizarre stuff that Dan Rather would spit out when he was covering the elections.) His coverage is set to start at 8PM Eastern Standard time in the US (which is about the time that the first of the polls will have closed).
Nice story, but it didn’t mention two races I’ll be watching, along with many others. Elizabeth Dole (R) vs. Kay Hagen (D) in North Carolina. Dole’s put out nasty ads that accuse Hagen, a freakin’ Sunday School teacher, of being a “Godless American.” I want to see Dole’s political career crushed to oblivion.
And there’s Michelle “McCarthyism babe” Bachmann (R, of course) vs. Elwyn Tinklenberg (D) in Minnesota. Elwyn raised a couple million in cash within days of Bachmann saying that the media should investigate “anti-American” members of Congress. I want to see Bachmann’s political career crushed to oblivion.
I just checked the link and their electoral college map concorded pretty well with what other sites were showing. The gave Obama 285, McCain 171, too close to call 89 and the individual states were mostly the same as other sites. I don’t trust Fox, but I don’t see them calling McCain ahead.
IMHO there should be no calling the election until the last polling station has closed, wherever that might be. Indeed, I’d like to see a news blackout of election stuff from the time the polls open until they close.
This is what I was wondering: how late will we have to stay up, here on the East Coast, to find out who won? I’m having some people over for election watching, and we all have to work the next day. Anyone able to estimate a time when it’ll be a safe bet that the result will be determined? You’d think I’d remember this from 4 years ago, but I don’t.