This is it. The election is tomorrow and many people are
breathing a sigh of relief. The last 48 hours of news coverage are unlike any
campaign coverage I have seen before. Rallies are covered live, countdown
clocks adorn the corners of nearly every cable news screen and journalists,
pundits and friends are reflecting on the magnitude of tomorrow.
I surprised myself by going to make calls yesterday – not
for president, but for a young Democrat running for state legislature (when
your boyfriend is the acting President of the CT Young Democrats, duty calls).
Tomorrow’s media coverage will feature something new – “real-time
projections of how the candidates are faring in each state throughout the day”
based on exit surveys. Slate, Vice News and Votecastr are partnering on the
effort which is drawing concern from some in the media. Politico
reports “[they] worry that collecting and reporting this data while votes are being
cast could impact the outcome.”
This strategy goes against the
currently established practice of amalgamating survey results to be released
after polls in that state close.
It will be an interesting thing to
watch.
I’m now forcing myself to close the
computer, put down the phone and turn off the TV. I’ll admit it, studying the
media has led to an unhealthy obsession with campaign coverage. I feel like an
addict going back for one more hit, I’m constantly on alert for something
breaking, something new, something BIG. I compulsively cycle through social
media and news sites – and I’m nearly always awarded with a new story; I haven’t
been to bed before midnight in at least two weeks.
It’s beginning to make me crazy and I
know tomorrow will be worse. I can’t seem to shake the notion that if I look
hard enough, I will find the golden nugget that will give me the answers.
Tomorrow is Election Day. That means it
will all be over soon…right?
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