1. Ignore exit polls, whether they show things you like or dislike. They are notoriously unreliable, especially the day of the election.
2. Ignore any comments or claims coming from either side's campaigns.
3. Ignore Drudge Report -- a noxious combination of misinformation and disinformation. Same for other highly-partisan "news" sources that love to spread rumors.
4. Pay attention to key swing state returns, starting at 7pm. This chart is helpful for knowing which states close when.
5. Do not pay attention to running totals of the "popular vote". First, it doesn't matter -- the electoral college determines the outcome. Second, the west coast is very blue, and their results won't be available until quite late. Third, the final totals won't be known for days or even weeks after election day. Fourth, it doesn't matter.
6. When watching returns from a single state, bear in mind that urban areas usually report later than rural ones. This can cause a state to appear to be going much more Republican than polls indicated early in the evening, only to correct later on.
7. Swing state returns tend to be correlated. If one candidate or the other is doing well in one close state, he or she will probably do well in others (though not always).
8. Be wary of comparisons to previous elections. Each one is different, and direct comparisons between years is usually mostly pointless.
9. Don't be surprised if some states are very close and the networks are unwilling to call them until a lot of results are in. The networks are still gun-shy from 2000.
10. If the anticipation is driving you nuts, go do something else Tuesday night.
2. Ignore any comments or claims coming from either side's campaigns.
3. Ignore Drudge Report -- a noxious combination of misinformation and disinformation. Same for other highly-partisan "news" sources that love to spread rumors.
4. Pay attention to key swing state returns, starting at 7pm. This chart is helpful for knowing which states close when.
5. Do not pay attention to running totals of the "popular vote". First, it doesn't matter -- the electoral college determines the outcome. Second, the west coast is very blue, and their results won't be available until quite late. Third, the final totals won't be known for days or even weeks after election day. Fourth, it doesn't matter.
6. When watching returns from a single state, bear in mind that urban areas usually report later than rural ones. This can cause a state to appear to be going much more Republican than polls indicated early in the evening, only to correct later on.
7. Swing state returns tend to be correlated. If one candidate or the other is doing well in one close state, he or she will probably do well in others (though not always).
8. Be wary of comparisons to previous elections. Each one is different, and direct comparisons between years is usually mostly pointless.
9. Don't be surprised if some states are very close and the networks are unwilling to call them until a lot of results are in. The networks are still gun-shy from 2000.
10. If the anticipation is driving you nuts, go do something else Tuesday night.
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