And we're off

The first votes, they have been cast. The first long lines, they have been reported. The first problems, they have been reported. The spinning, it has begun.

And since I seem to be coming down with a cold, the odds of my skipping any election-night shindigs in favor of sitting in front of the TV with my laptop have gone way up. Lucky you!

So turnout is way up. Amazing what happens when people feel like they have a personal stake in the outcome of an election. Okay, so we know that unless a voter lives in a swing state their vote doesn't really count, but it's the principle of things. Conventional wisdom is that huge turnout favors the challenger, and I think that's going to hold. The first-time voters are leaning Kerry as a whole. I'm trying to find state-by-state breakdowns.

Top requests for explanations: The mechanics of voting at a polling place, and the whole electoral college deal. (Explanation of the requests for explanation: People ask me stuff all the time. Why me? Heck if I know. Anyway, it's a great informal buzz-meter.)

I'm predicting that Florida goes to Kerry, and spawns the most lawsuits. Ohio will probably go Republican, and be a close second in the legal count. International observers will look at our electoral process and wonder how the hell we got to be the top dog on the pile. Jimmy Carter will snap and pummel Jeb Bush. No, I haven't started with the cold medicine. Why do you ask?