How to watch election coveage on 11/8/2016? (when is it determined, which states)

[Zeze]

1. Around what time EST do we know for certain who will be the president? I'll be leaving work at 5pm EST. I guess it determines on the latest swing state closing their polls + 1~3 hrs afterward for counting?

It was fuzzy about 8 years ago.... I think it was certain about 8-9pm EST.

2. Which are key swing states that I should pay attention to?

3. Best place to watch the election coverage?

 

[dullard]

I will be paying attention to Pennsylvania (8 PM Eastern), Florida (7 PM and 8 PM Eastern), North Carolina (7:30 PM Eastern), and Ohio (7:30 PM Eastern). If Clinton wins 3 of them, she will almost certainly win the election. If Trump wins 3 of them, it'll be a nail-biter. After that batch of states comes out, there really isn't anything very close. And the states that might swing are small and probably won't impact the election.

But note, if those four states are close, they might not be called until hours after the polls close.

 

[cbrunny]

is there a way to watch online?

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

is there a way to watch online?

Just copying and pasting here, no testing done, but cnet's fairly trustworthy
https://www.cnet.com/news/how-to-watch-the-presidential-election-results-on-phone/

 

[zinfamous]

I will be paying attention to Pennsylvania (8 PM Eastern), Florida (7 PM and 8 PM Eastern), North Carolina (7:30 PM Eastern), and Ohio (7:30 PM Eastern). If Clinton wins 3 of them, she will almost certainly win the election. If Trump wins 3 of them, it'll be a nail-biter. After that batch of states comes out, there really isn't anything very close. And the states that might swing are small and probably won't impact the election.

But note, if those four states are close, they might not be called until hours after the polls close.

yeah, those east coast returns are crucial, especially PA and either NC or FL. PA is pretty certainly Clinton. The only alarming thing would be that if it somehow goes Trump, that means everything else is out the door. If either NC or FL go Clinton, Trump has no chance. One of those being Blue pretty much confirms what the polls have been saying since...well, forever.

But bear in mind that those calls may not be made early on. It took an entire evening to call FL in 2000 (of course, there was a massive screwup there), and NC was so close in 2008 that it took about 2 or 3 days to call, iirc? --lol: didn't read your last line.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

For the foreign guys. Generally speaking its determined somewhere around 8-9:30 pm Eastern time. Traditionally the losing candidate withdraws and calls the race over then gives a speech saying thanks for the help but I'm not it. Congratulate the other guys.
Trump is unlikely to do that so things could get interesting around 10:30 Eastern time.

 

[fskimospy]

yeah, those east coast returns are crucial, especially PA and either NC or FL. PA is pretty certainly Clinton. The only alarming thing would be that if it somehow goes Trump, that means everything else is out the door. If either NC or FL go Clinton, Trump has no chance. One of those being Blue pretty much confirms what the polls have been saying since...well, forever.

But bear in mind that those calls may not be made early on. It took an entire evening to call FL in 2000 (of course, there was a massive screwup there), and NC was so close in 2008 that it took about 2 or 3 days to call, iirc? --lol: didn't read your last line.

Yep, basically this. Assuming Clinton wins PA which seems pretty likely if she takes either NC of FL Trump is basically screwed. If those go Trump or stay up in the air all night then you might have to wait until CO and NV are called, which means probably near midnight EST or later.

 

[Homerboy]

I hate that results are reported early. You can not convince me it does not sway more western states.
Maybe doesn't change the results overall, but it has to sway the number of overall votes

 

[zinfamous]

I hate that results are reported early. You can not convince me it does not sway more western states.
Maybe doesn't change the results overall, but it has to sway the number of overall votes

Actually...I thought returns are only reported once the western polls close? much of the results are known, just not reported for this very reason. I voted in CA the previous 8 years, and I seem to recall results only going live at ~7-7:30pm, which coincides to the last poll closings (well...except AK and HI, but who cares about those?). Been a while since I watched an election on the east coast.

I think Dullard was posting the times for poll closings in those states, not returns.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Actually...I thought returns are only reported once the western polls close? much of the results are known, just not reported for this very reason. I voted in CA the previous 8 years, and I seem to recall results only going live at ~7-7:30pm, which coincides to the last poll closings (well...except AK and HI, but who cares about those?). Been a while since I watched an election on the east coast.

I think Dullard was posting the times for poll closings in those states, not returns.

I don't think there is a law against reporting them but I believe news organizations have agreed to not report them. This is a fairly recent development (like the late 80's). Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[fskimospy]

I don't think there is a law against reporting them but I believe news organizations have agreed to not report them. This is a fairly recent development (like the late 80's). Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

News organizations don't call states until the polls IN THAT STATE close, but that's it. They will have called most states long before the polls close on the west coast.

 

[shortylickens]

I think I'll watch Samantha Bee on TBS.
Because I dont have anything better going on.

 

[JoLLyRoGer]

Yep, basically this. Assuming Clinton wins PA which seems pretty likely if she takes either NC of FL Trump is basically screwed. If those go Trump or stay up in the air all night then you might have to wait until CO and NV are called, which means probably near midnight EST or later.

If PA goes blue, Trump has to sweep OH, VA, NC, and FL, regardless of what happens in NV.

If he takes both PA and NV (won't happen), he still needs FL and OH both.

If something like AZ flips, and PA goes blue, he can't win even with NV and the other 4.

I will be watching closely PA, VA and NC. If two of those states go blue, mail it in.

 

[nakedfrog]

Q.
How to watch election coverage on 11/8/2016?

A.
With a big-arsed bottle of whiskey, rum, gin, or other libation of sufficient potency.

 

[Grooveriding]

I think the real entertainment is going to be at Jonestown caliber internet sites like the Trump subreddit. If the likely projected Trump loss comes through, those nuts are going to go into shitshow crazy mode and it will be gold entertainment reading it all.

 

[fskimospy]

I think the real entertainment is going to be at Jonestown caliber internet sites like the Trump subreddit. If the likely projected Trump loss comes through, those nuts are going to go into shitshow crazy mode and it will be gold entertainment reading it all.

I wonder if someone will have the courage to go curate the best/craziest conspiracy theories out of there.

Same goes for plans for revolution.

 

[Homerboy]

I think the real entertainment is going to be at Jonestown caliber internet sites like the Trump subreddit. If the likely projected Trump loss comes through, those nuts are going to go into shitshow crazy mode and it will be gold entertainment reading it all.

YES!!! I didn't think of that. Now I have to bring myself to subscribe to the trump subreddit.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Seems like the Clinton campaign might be preparing for a long night. They had a permit for fireworks in NY for around 9:30 which is about when I would expect a projection under normal circumstances. Sounds like now they won't be doing it. I'm betting they expect it to be a later night before projections are made.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

I think the real entertainment is going to be at Jonestown caliber internet sites like the Trump subreddit. If the likely projected Trump loss comes through, those nuts are going to go into shitshow crazy mode and it will be gold entertainment reading it all.

Bookmark Freerepublic now! You won't regret it!

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Handy guide to US Elections for all the foreign dudes.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/06/politics/non-americans-guide-us-elections-trnd/index.html

 

[fskimospy]

Seems like the Clinton campaign might be preparing for a long night. They had a permit for fireworks in NY for around 9:30 which is about when I would expect a projection under normal circumstances. Sounds like now they won't be doing it. I'm betting they expect it to be a later night before projections are made.

Could be, although they canceled them shortly after getting bad press about being too presumptuous so it could be that too.

 

[ElFenix]

I don't think there is a law against reporting them but I believe news organizations have agreed to not report them. This is a fairly recent development (like the late 80's). Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

in 2000 they called floriduh for gore as soon as polls there closed. it may even have been before the polls in the floriduh panhandle closed. there was a lot of crying afterward about them calling it for bush about 3 am, but that didn't have any impact on the election. when they called it for gore they basically said there's no way for bush to win the election. while i can't be certain that discouraged voters elsewhere, i assume it did.

 

[Ken g6]

I will be paying attention to Pennsylvania (8 PM Eastern), Florida (7 PM and 8 PM Eastern), North Carolina (7:30 PM Eastern), and Ohio (7:30 PM Eastern). If Clinton wins 3 of them, she will almost certainly win the election. If Trump wins 3 of them, it'll be a nail-biter. After that batch of states comes out, there really isn't anything very close. And the states that might swing are small and probably won't impact the election.

But note, if those four states are close, they might not be called until hours after the polls close.

I'll also be watching New Hampshire. If Hillary wins that and Pennsylvania, she should be on track for at least a marginal victory. If Hillary wins Pennsylvania and any of the other three states you mentioned, she should be on track for a win as well.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Like a lot of folks here, I am freaking addicted to watching the results of this election ebb and flow.
Here's a site that's tracking voting in real time
http://www.slate.com/votecastr_election_day_turnout_tracker.html

 

[zinfamous]

Like a lot of folks here, I am freaking addicted to watching the results of this election ebb and flow.
Here's a site that's tracking voting in real time
http://www.slate.com/votecastr_election_day_turnout_tracker.html

wow, that's pretty awesome...but how are they at 75% of expected votes observed, already, in FL, for example?

I wonder how accurate this is. PA is closer than I imagined it would be, but Florida isn't, haha. The current voter turnout is crazy compared to 2012 in FL.