Election Day Countdown: Did You Fall On Your Way? It's a Long Way Down! Finally

We've finally reached that day. 20 months after this campaign began. 154 days since Election Day Countdown exploded into existence and rocked the blogosphere to its very core. All the preparation and the analysis and the guessing and the waiting has finally culminated in this one day! I am so grateful to all of you who allowed me to take this journey with you, and I can't wait to celebrate tomorrow night as returns start coming in.

So where does this take Election Day Countdown? With nothing to count down to, what will I possibly write about? Well, on Wednesday or Thursday I'll post my post-mortem, looking at where I went wrong, where I went right, and just wrapping up this election season and looking forward into what lies ahead. By the end of this coming weekend, my plans for the future of this blog will become apparent. So keep watching the skies...

So what should we look for tomorrow? Well, if you were sitting next to me (although I most likely won't be sitting, more like pacing and jumping and tugging at my hair) watching CNN, you'd get to hear my analysis of what the returns and exit polls mean - my analysis usually consists of CNN's analysis, only about 15 minutes quicker. But here's some things to keep an eye on as indicators, or just interesting races to amuse yourself with:

--> East coast returns. Polls close in Virginia at 7 PM. If Obama is running up the score in the northern part of the state, and McCain isn't absolutely dominating everywhere else, the networks might actually call this one before some of the other states close. Now, the TV pundits will do everything they can to avoid calling the election this early, in order to avoid messing with turnout on the west coast. However, if Virginia goes blue, you can pull out the cigars right there, because this thing is finished. Same applies to Florida or North Carolina or Georgia.

Keep an eye on Pennsylvania. It has a tendency to be closer on the day itself than people expect from polls. Obama needs an enormous victory with record turnout in Philadelphia, and a sizeable majority in the Pittsburgh area. McCain is going to dominate in the middle of the state, but keep an eye on the returns in the Penn State area. Also, look at the suburban counties surrounding Philadelphia - specifically Delaware and Montgomery - which will be great indicators of how Obama is doing amongst moderates and independents.

--> State Races: Kay Hagan vs. Elizabeth Dole for Senate and Beverly Perdue vs. Pat McCrory for Governor in North Carolina are going to be incredibly tight, as will the presidential race. McCain's and Obama's coat tails will be crucial here, depending on if they can get everyone to vote down-ballot. This will be a fascinating state to watch.

Georgia - Saxby Chambliss vs. Jim Martin for Senate looks really close, and if Obama can make this state close (as polls suggest he can) or even squeak out a victory as part of an Electoral College domination, he might be able to put Martin over the top.

Arizona - Can Obama actually win McCain's home state? Probably not, unless McCain voters just stay home, having already given up. And in that case, it'll be part of a larger blowout anyway. It'll also signal a tough reelection race for McCain in 2 years if this is close.

Iowa - McCain's camp keeps claiming that their internal polls show it tied, while every major polling group has Obama leading in double digits. Are they lying, or will this actually turn out to be closer than expected?

California - Proposition 4 and Proposition 8, one to force physicians to notify parents 48 hours before the perform an abortion on a minor and the other to prohibit gay marriage, are both on the ballot, and are expected to be EXTREMELY tight. It'll depend on GOTV efforts by the two presidential campaigns.

Minnesota - Franken vs. Coleman for Senate will be fascinating. There's a strong third-party candidate, but it's unclear who he's drawing votes from, as polls continue to conflict, showing both major candidates with decent leads. Let's see who's right.

--> Turnout. Of course, that's the name of the game. However, unlike past years, Democrats hold an ENORMOUS advantage amongst voters who have already cast their ballots. Thus, McCain can win a decent-sized majority of votes on Election Day itself and still get his ass kicked.

--> Volunteering. And by that I mean, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING WATCHING CNN OR CHECKING BLOGS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY???? POLLS ARE STILL OPEN, YOU TWIT! GO VOLUNTEER AT A LOCAL OFFICE, MAKE PHONE CALLS, KNOCK ON DOORS, YELL AT YOUR FRIENDS TO GO VOTE!!!! In all seriousness, all of this advice on what to look for ONLY takes effect at 8 PM local time. Before that, I don't want to hear a peep from you.

This is what we're fighting for:

The polling booth is not a forum for your ideological grievances. Tomorrow is not an excuse to whine about the two-party system. This is for choosing a president. Pick someone who can and will govern this nation effectively and with the support and consent of the population of the United States. On Wednesday, go right ahead and try to tear down the two-party system; I'll be right there with you. But tomorrow, that's all we have to work with. Spoiler votes tomorrow will just increase general hostility to your cause of expanding the proportional system of our democracy.

Remember, 270 and 60. That's what we're after. Now go make it happen, one vote at a time!