Election Day 2008 - What to Expect

You can gather together your friends, great refreshments and settle in for a long night watching your HD TV. But unlikely 2000 and 2004, it may not be that long a night before we know how it will end. It will take several hours after the first polls close until one candidate has been declared the winner of enough states to total 270 electoral votes. However, some early states provide the key to who will get to that 270 total.

We'll list the states in the order in which they close. We'll use (D) for states almost certain to vote Democratic, (R) for states to go Republican and (U) for states that are still undetermined which way they will go.

POLL CLOSING TIMES
------------------

6:00 PM Kentucky (8R) and Indiana (11U)

If Indiana is too close to call beyond 7PM, that is a bad sign for John McCain.

7:00 PM Vermont (3D), New Hampshire (4D), South Carolina (8R), Virginia (13U), Georgia (15R), Florida (27U)

The big early battlegrounds are here. Virginia and Florida will dictate the course of the evening. I doubt there will be any declaration for them this hour.

7:30PM West Virginia (5D), Ohio (20U), North Carolina (15U)

By 8PM, the networks will probably declare Indiana for McCain.

7:59 totals - Obama 7, McCain 47

8:00 PM DC (3D), Delaware (3D), Oklahoma (7R), Illinois (21D), Alabama (9R), Conneticut (7D), Maryland (10D), Massachusetts (12D), New Jersey (15D), Kansas (6R), Maine (4D), Tennessee (11R), Michigan (17D), Texas (34R), Mississippi (6R), South Dakota (3R), Pennsylvania (21U), Missouri (11U)

Lots of state, most are not close. However, PA and Missouri are the big ticket battlegrounds in this hour that are the final opportunity for John McCain to keep it close through the night.

8:30 PM Arkansas (6R)

8:59PM totals - Obama 109, McCain 129

9:00 PM New York (31D), Wyoming (3D), Rhode Island (4D), Nebraska (5R), Minnesota (10D), Wisconsin (10D), Louisiana (9R), New Mexico (5D), Colorado (9D), Arizona (10R), North Dakota (3R)

Some of the undecideds start getting called. Virginia and Florida get called for Barack Obama and effectively end the mathematical possibilities for John McCain, although the official electoral vote totals are still far short.

9:59PM totals - Obama 229, McCain 159

10:00 PM Idaho (4R), Utah (5R), Iowa (7D), Nevada (5D), Montana (3R)

10:30PM - Ohio and North Carolina get called for Obama and this Clam Bake is ready for the confetti.

10:59PM totals - Obama 276, McCain 171

11:00 PM Hawaii (4D), California (55D), Oregon (7D), Washington (11D)

11:59PM totals - Obama 353, McCain 171

Midnight Alaska (3R)

FINAL - Obama 353, McCain (174)

At some point, Missouri is eventually declared for McCain making the final total Obama 353, McCain 185

FIRST ELECTION TOTALS IN AT 12:10AM!!!!!
Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, Obama 15, McCain 6 - the first time since 1964 the town voted Democratic. This could be the beginning of a very unpleasant day for John McCain.