64%

That’s the turnout rate for this year’s election, the highest since 1960.

Live blogging again

10:33 PM: All networks playing it safe. Prediction: They’ll all call it for Obama at 11 PM. 

10:17 PM: Still no results from Grand Rapids. One person I talked to this afternoon waited 3 hours to vote at Alexander Elementary. Most everyone else I’ve talked to (from all over the county) had little or no wait this morning and afternoon.

9:43 PM: Chuck Todd says that the demographic of the night is the white, college-educated voter. And Obama is getting them big time.

9:40 PM: No results from Grand Rapids yet, but the rest of Kent County is typically solid Republican. 

9:38 PM: Olbermann attempts basic math, takes MSNBC’s current projections, adds likely Obama wins, gets a likely Obama victory. David Gregory gives a noticable reaction in an attempt to keep Keith from calling it a done deal. Heh.

Cue fat lady

9:01 PM: Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, NY, and Rhode Island to Obama; Wyoming, North Dakota, and Kansas to McCain (all according to MSNBC). Less than 100 electoral votes to go. And Arizona is too close to call.

8:57 PM: No change for Obama since I bolted out of GRCC and headed back to the not-so-elite Hollywood hills. Right now, Indiana is the one to watch. It’s close, and the exit polls show a huge amount of independent voter support for Obama. 

8:13 PM: ABC and MSNBC are projecting victory for Obama based on exit polls. If they’re accurate, it’s all over for McCain. 

Live blogging the election returns

7:51 PM – Sign of the times: NBC is using an ice rink as its electoral map; CNN is using holograms. Insert Obi Wan Kenobi joke here. What a desperate attempt to draw viewers.

7:40 PM – Dismissed fellow election junkies/EN 102 students for the night. Waiting to see what happens in Florida, Virginia, and Indiana. If the Hoosiers go Obama, it’s all over. But it’s too close to call right now. But if Florida and Virginia go blue, the rest of the night won’t matter.

Still, there’s plenty of drama in Michigan. Will Props 1 and 2 pass? And will Al Franken eek out a victory in Minnesota? Stay tuned. 

Seriously, I haven’t been this excited since my first election in 1984 (voted for The Gipper). 

How to wait for results in Denver

Why, by taking in a Metallica concert, of course. I’d give a shout out to the Right Reverend Greg and sis-in-law Melissa, but I don’t think they’d be able to hear it . . . 

How to watch tonight’s results – hour-by-hour

Let Fivethirtyeight‘s Nate Silver take you through the process. We might know all we need to after Virginia closes at 7 PM.

How you doin?

The NY Times checks our collective state of mind this Election Day. Two of the most common words (across party lines) used to describe how we’re feeling: hopeful and anxious.

Just do it.

Vote.

Savor the long line at your polling place. Celebrate this awesome privledge. Thank the polling place workers. Thank the people who’ve fought and died for your right to vote.

Vote.

See you tomorrow night.

It’s for your own good!

No school on Election Day. Wouldn’t that be nice? Safety first, country second.