Guide to Watching Tonight's Election Returns
Here's a guide to how to watch tonight's election returns.
By Steven Thomma, McClatchy Newspapers
Tuesday 04 November 2008
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Washington - Just a few hours now, and we'll know who will be the country's 44th president. To help you know the real
score as it happens, here's a quick guide of what to watch for Tuesday night starting at 7 p.m. EST.
Keeping Score: The best way to keep score is to start with the 2004 result, when the Republicans won 286 electoral college votes and
the Democrats won 252.
Then, any time McCain wins a state his party did not win in 2004, add the state's total electoral college votes to the
286 and subtract it from the Democrats' 252.
For example, if McCain wins Pennsylvania and its 21 votes, add that to his column for a running total of 307 and
subtract it from the Obama column, for a running total of 231.
At the same time, any time Obama wins a state his party did not win last time, add that to the 252 and subtract it from
the Republicans.
So, if Obama wins Virginia and its 13 votes, add it to Obama's starting base of 252 for a running total of 265, and
reduce McCain's running total to 273.
States to Watch: Most states are solidly in one column or the other and can be ignored. New York will vote Democratic, for example. So
watch the states that are close and might switch from the 2004 result.
The watch list, from East to West as polls are scheduled to close:
7 p.m. EST: Georgia, Indiana, and Virginia.
7:30 p.m. EST: Ohio, North Carolina.
8 p.m. EST: Florida, New Hampshire, Missouri, and Pennsylvania.
9 p.m. EST: Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Mexico.
10 p.m. EST: Iowa, Nevada.
11 p.m. EST: North Dakota.
Lines to Watch: Many states could keep polls open late if people are still in line.
Tripwires: If Indiana is too close to call, it suggests problems for McCain. It's the most Republican of the early states Tuesday
night, and he should win it comfortably if he's doing OK.
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