What to Expect as Americans Head to the Polls November 4

By Michelle Austein

After a nearly two-year campaign, Election Day is almost here. Americans are expected to turn out in record numbers to select their president, senators, congressional representatives and thousands of local officials.

For campaign workers, election officials and election observers, November 4 will be the culmination of months of planning for the final day of the 2008 campaign.

There is no national election in the United States; rather, the 50 states and the District of Columbia each have an election, John Fortier, research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told journalists at the State Department's Foreign Press Center in Washington October 30. "The results of those elections ultimately determine the winner."

"There is no single authority in Washington that oversees elections. There are different practices in different states."

The U.S. Department of Justice will send hundreds of employees to more than 65 cities and counties in approximately 20 states to monitor the elections. The department, which is responsible for protecting voters' rights and preventing voter fraud, also has set up a Web site and toll-free phone number for citizens to file complaints.

Americans, as well as people across the world, will keep a close eye on their televisions as they await reports on who will be the next president of the United States: John McCain or Barack Obama.

On Election Day, political experts and average Americans will be watching:

East Coast Polls: News outlets will report a state's results once the majority of the state's polls have closed and they feel they have collected enough data to determine who will be the likely winner.

For states where polls indicate strong support for McCain or strong support for Obama, news networks will declare a winner seconds after the polls close. For states with close races, networks will wait for more data, which could take hours - or in an extremely competitive state, days - to compile.

The first state to begin closing its polls will be Indiana, at 6 p.m. EST for the part of the state that's in America's Eastern time zone. Polls in the rest of the state, in the Central time zone, will close one hour later. In years past, networks have been comfortable announcing a statewide winner when the first Indiana polls closed. But in 2008, Indiana is a battleground state, so networks might wait until the remaining polls close to announce a victor.

At that same time, several other states' polls will close, including those in two important battleground states - Virginia and Florida. (A few Florida precincts will remain open until 8 p.m.). Those states, along with Ohio, where polls close at 7:30 p.m., are among the most important to watch, Fortier said.

"If you see that Barack Obama has won Ohio, Florida and Virginia, or even one of those states, certainly two of those states, it's very hard to see how John McCain can win the electoral map," Fortier said.

If McCain does win some of those states or the results have not been announced by the time Western states close their polls, political experts will be looking toward Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado, Fortier said. New Mexico's and Colorado's polls close at 9 p.m. EST, and Nevada closes at 10 p.m. EST.

A complete list of poll closing times ( http://www.thegreenpapers.com/G08/closing.phtml?format=ec ) is available on The Green Papers Web site.

Voter Turnout: More Americans voted in the 2008 primaries and caucuses than ever before, and many states are reporting record numbers of new voters. Many Americans already have voted. But higher turnout for early voting does not equate to higher voter turnout on Election Day, Fortier said. Political experts are excited about the possibility of record voter turnout, but they note that more voters could mean states need more time to tabulate results. (See "One-Third of Americans Likely to Vote Before Election Day ( http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2008/October/20081020121120hmnietsua0.7194178.html?CP.rss=true ).")

Youth Turnout: One reason for the potentially higher turnout is the significant increase in registered young voters. Prior election years brought speculation about whether youth voter turnout would increase, but many political experts believe 2008 will be the year in which young voters finally head to the polls in large numbers. (See "'Youthquake' Expected in 2008 U.S. Election ( http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2008/October/20081016112436abretnuh0.4558985.html ).")

Voter Irregularities: Since the 2000 election brought problems with paper ballots to the forefront, states have worked to improve their voting systems. Many introduced electronic machines, but some Americans have concerns about those voting systems. State officials will be paying close attention to any problems reported with voting machines. (See "Electronic Voting Technology Has Not Won Trust of U.S. Voters ( http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2008/October/20081028111518abretnuh0.2806513.html?CP.rss=true ).")

Senate Races: "We knew almost no matter who won the presidency, the Democrats would gain a fair number of seats" in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Fortier said. "In recent days ... you've seen even more and more Republicans in trouble."

In the Senate, the Democratic Party is hoping for enough Senate victories to increase their coalition of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents from 51 to 60. Holding 60 seats is important because 60 votes are needed to end a filibuster - a parliamentary procedure that allows senators to continue a debate indefinitely and block or delay a vote on a measure or nomination. (See "Democrats Hoping for Major Senate Gains ( http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2008/October/20081027094216hmnietsua4.969424e-02.html?CP.rss=true ).")

"A month ago I would have said [earning 60 seats] was almost impossible," Fortier said. "Today I do think it's possible." Americans may have to wait late into the night to know if the Democrats will reach their goal, as one of the competitive Senate races is in Alaska.

There is one thing political experts advise ignoring on Election Day: results of early exit polls and surveys reported on the Internet.

"The networks are more and more closely guarding their exit poll results," Fortier said, so that information is not released before Americans are done voting. Information leaked on the Internet during the day might be incomplete or even inaccurate. Additionally, Fortier noted, exit polls are "only a piece of the puzzle." (See "How the Media 'Call' the U.S. Presidential Election ( http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2008/October/20081030160905esnamfuak0.3107721.html?CP.rss=true ).")

America.gov will feature webchats and webcasts throughout Election Day. For more information, see U.S. Elections ( http://uspolitics.america.gov/uspolitics/elections/index.html ).

Source: U.S. Department of State