The 2012 US Election

[N.E. Brigand]

Ohio requires ID.

True! But not photo ID. A utility bill showing your current address will suffice.

[Lalaith]

I was thinking you needed a photo ID with your current address, but I guess you can just show a utility bill with your name and address. (Otherwise, you cast a provisional ballot.) They do match your signature to your previous signature.

(I have to show both my driver's license and a utility bill because my address is old on my driver's license.)

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Final 538 odds: Pres. Obama, 91.6%; Gov. Romney, 8.4%.

Edit: He changed it again, now 90.9%, 9.1%.

[Frelga]

Yet Yahoo news cites a bunch of polls, including Gallup, that show Romney winning.

[Dave_LF]

Gallup is of the opinion that minorities who say they plan to vote for Obama on the phone won't actually show up today, and their polls are much more Republican-leaning than the consensus as a result. We'll find out soon whether it's they or everyone else who is wrong.

But even Gallup only showed Romney+1 yesterday, when they had something like Romney+7 in mid-October.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Gallup and Rasmussen are the only final national polls to show Romney ahead, and they are both heavily Republican-leaning. There are two that show a tie, and eight that show Obma in the lead. The overall average shows a 1.6 lead for Obama. And that doesn't include several other national polls released over the weekend that also showed him ahead. More importantly, the swing state polls are overwhelmingly in Obama's favor. There would have to be a case of the polls being massively wrong across the board for Romney to win. Particularly since the trend line has been in Obama's direction, not Romney's.

Reports like that Yahoo report that focus on just one or two polls while ignoring the rest are bad journalism. It certainly is possible that Romney will win, but the evidence is strongly against it.

[River]

And these. He points out that one of these previously 100% accurate rules will fail this year:

-A Democratic president has never beaten a challenger who is taller
-No candidate whose first name includes the letter K has ever lost

And this morning, the battle of the omens draws to a close...

I like how the Redskins Rule got rewritten after the 2004 election.

[Frelga]

Standing in line to vote, in complete confidence that my vote means nothing in presidential election.

State propositions are another matter.

[Maria]

Our polling place got changed to a school this year-- and all the schools in this district have a "teacher's workday" today, so there are no kids around. It only took about 20 minutes in and out counting parking time. Not bad. The machine that ate my paper ballot looked suspiciously like a shredder.

(No shredding noises came from it, though.)

I took a sheet in with me in case my memory crapped out on the smaller local election candidates, but I didn't have to refer to it. One of said candidates was waiting outside the front door of the school. Seeing as how my only comment to him would be, "I think you are creepy but I voted for you anyway," I dodged and avoided talking to him.

[Dave_LF]

I'm pretty sure all I accomplished president-wise was canceling out the vote of the person ahead of me in line.

[Maria]

That's what my husband thinks about my vote.

(edit: That frowny face is too fierce. It's not really an issue between us.)

[Griffon64]

Standing in line to vote, in complete confidence that my vote means nothing in presidential election.

State propositions are another matter.

The state propositions and the local measures and government is where my attention went, too. My presidential vote is worth as much as yours.

I still need to scribble out my cheat sheet for the state propositions, actually. Just to be sure.

[Frelga]

I thought they were not allowed to campaign on the election day?

Took me 15 minutes. I think in smaller elections they combined two precints at a church, but they moved mine to a school this year.

[Teremia]

I just voted! Now I'd love to hibernate until tomorrow, because I hate suspense. But instead I've got to go teach!

[Erunáme]

I just voted! Now I'd love to hibernate until tomorrow, because I hate suspense. But instead I've got to go teach!

I know the feeling. I feel nervous. I can't imagine what candidates go through!

[Dave_LF]

Buy a bunch of Obama shares on Intrade and you'll get a better idea. $3 profit on each if he wins!

[WampusCat]

I just voted. Voter #972 in my precinct and probably Voter #2 for my presidential candidate of choice.

If Obama wins North Carolina, I'll eat my hat. The Romney team has put on the pressure big time. I have fielded an average 3 calls a day from them and none from the Democrats. Zero. Why, Romney himself called yesterday, mentioned my county by name, and said he'd take it as a personal favor if I voted for him.

[tinwë]

And yet ElectoralVote.com has NC tied at 49% each, and Obama has a good lead in early voting. I voted early myself, but I had to go over to the Town Hall earlier today and there was a very long line at the poll, which they say bodes well for the Democrats (although they surely were not thinking about Cornelius NC when they said that). Mind you, I tend to agree with you - I thought it was unlikely that Obama would win here again, and I still think it is, but on the other hand ... you may want to start looking around for a tasty hat.

[River]

I don't think any reasonable person thinks Obama's going to carry NC or IN this year.

[JewelSong]

I voted at 7:00am this morning. I didn't need to show any kind of ID. I was in and out in 5 minutes.

I was thinking on the way home from work, that election day is kind of cool - no matter who you are voting for. Tomorrow morning we'll have elected a President. Either the guy we have now or a new guy. And everyone will accept that. No fighting, no gunfire, no looting, no riots in the streets. Some people will be very pleased and some people very disappointed (and some people won't give a flying fig) but...everyone will call him "Mr. President" just the same.