Random stories, polling place reports, information, and observations, locally and nationally. Check for updates throughout the day.
The New York Times is reporting that some networks may call the election before voting is complete, perhaps as early as 8pm "from a combination of polling data and samples of actual votes." Because that’s worked so well in previous years.
Some Chicagoans say making it easier for people to vote is bad. (Is CNN’s Bob Greene the former Trib columnist?)
The Sun-Times has a Grant Park webcam, though it’s pretty pretty far away from the potential action. Sarah Palin can see Russia easier from her house.
Chicagoist has pictures from election places around town and a report of a voting glitch in Pilsen. Chicagoland posted about what it’s like to vote in Hyde Park this morning. The U.S. Attorney in Chicago is saying voting has been going smoothly, according to the Trib’s Breaking News Bureau.
11:24am: Via buzzbrockway: Last night my McCain sign was stolen as was my next door neighbor’s Obama sign. Darn Libertarians.
11:28am: CNN is talking to Jesse Jackson Jr. who says Grant Park is called "Chicago’s front porch." Really? It’s not "Chicago’s backyard" or "Chicago’s place to put a children’s museum?" He’s also talking about who Blago will appoint to fill Obama’s seat. He’s notably not mentioning himself.
Loving this voting place slideshow from WBEZ’s blog.
11:31am: Voting reports via #votereport via Twitter:
leahjones: Yes, I’m putting my stake in the ground of election predictions. Chicago will have a baby boom in 9 months.
MosheYudkowsky: No current lines at Budlong Woods library in Chicago. I guess hype-induced lines have faded.
chiscarlett No wait at 1419 Blackhawk for Ward 1, Precinct 37 in Chicago.
11:41am: Via Chicagoland: The best campaign poster yet, and FiveThirtyEight on why you should ignore exit polls (ahem, CBS News).
11:45am: Obama says he is in Indiana today because he thinks he’s going to win the state (RealClearPolitics disagrees). And wouldn’t that mean he should probably go visit some place that’s still a toss-up? Like, say, Missouri?
12:29pm: CNN thinks it’s adorable it takes us so long to vote for all the judges.
More voting reports via Twitter:
betsyh: less than 5 mins wait Chicago 47th Ward - They let me go ahead of about 6 other people due to how I was coded in book.
sbtrib Indiana officials: Get in lines by 3 p.m. to assure your vote http://tinyurl.com/682m2r
xunzx: Voted 4 hours ago, 1st precinct, 23 ward, Chicago. No waiting, just went by the poll place no line.
12:33pm: It’s no magic/invisible pen, but apparently rain makes optical scan ballots fall down, go boom. More problems in this CNN story.
12:46pm: Clout City has some reports from polling places in Roseland and Rogers Park.
12:50pm: FiveThirthyEight’s final electoral predictions: Obama: 349; McCain: 189. CBS News has 10 questions to consider on Election Day but only numbers 5 and 10 seem important. The rest are all fodder for pundits.
More from #votereport on Twitter, specific to Indianapolis:
finifinito: 46201 Indianapolis Public School 58 2 hr wait
indyaccess: #EPIN L:Indianapolis #46226 registered voter’s name not in the poll book. Received mailing; same home address 35 years.
1:38pm: McCain is in Colorado extolling the virtues of Todd Palin’s snowmobiling prowess.
1:47pm: Pictures from outside the entrance to Grant Park at Congress. Plus, details on the rally and bars downtown where you can watch the election returns if you can’t get into the non-ticketed areas.
1:50pm: From Jonathan Messinger, TOC Books editor: If you’re like us (and if you’re reading this, you probably are), you’re having difficulty concentrating today, and feeling anxious, apprehensive, or just about any other adjective you can come up with. You are not alone, and The New York Times has the coolest demonstration of this.
1:55pm: If you saw a headline that said "Obama to youth of America: ‘Pull up your pants"" then you’d think it was an Onion headline, right? So would I. And yet…
2:00pm: WBEZ’s blog has some comments from folks who have been having trouble voting today.
2:19pm: Anyone else notice that of the four Circuit Court judges the Chicago Bar Association recommended voting against, three were women? As were all five not recommended in the subcircuit? The Chicago Council of Lawyers suggested voting "no" on nine Circuit candidates, seven of them women. I wouldn’t start throwing out accusations of sexism, but it’s certainly worth raising an eyebrow over. And it’s a reminder that these recommendations shouldn’t be used as blanket guides, as they sometimes are. As always, read the reasoning behind the decisions. - Jonathan Messinger
3:05pm: Chicago-based Fivethirtyeight.com just put up a post citing Andrew Gelman’s claim that if Virginia goes to Obama, and it’s close in Indiana, we could know with almost 100 percent certainty, that Obama will win it all by, like, 7pm. You can ask Andrew—Columbia University prof and co-author of Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State—to breakdown the math tonight at the GOAt Election Watch 2008 event at Schuba’s. - Jonathan Messinger
4:09pm: Black Panthers are intimidating voters! Except…not. Time to close down this thread and start preparing for the rally. Be sure to follow our live-blogging of election night at the TOC Twitter stream.
Yup, CNN’s Greene is the Trib’s disgraced Greene.
That article is ludicrous. It’s just a bunch of voter speculation that maybe early voting might not be that great. Is that what our election policies should be based on?