the 4pm update

I’m getting news updates about the state of the race from Politico’s Live Blog. It’s got great content from the ground all over the country. For local, I have been using the Courant’s Live Updates. It’s less substantive but I’m enjoying the anecdotes. I also have my eye on CapitolReport but it’s main headline hasn’t changed in over six hours.

This Politico story about what to watch out for today will definitely inform my later viewing. The website has another countdown timer *gasp* which counts down the hours until the first polls close.

I’ve been checking out Slate’s live projections. There were some technical snafus this morning so the charts didn’t look interesting until about 10am. Now some of them are down again. It’s interesting to look at but at this point feels really abstract. The Wall Street Journal wrote that the live polling data boosted stocks this morning.

There have been reports of long lines, confusion and intimidation across the country and in CT.  This long-running story/blog by the New Haven independent comes complete with a hero-cop who "waded into an East Rock polling spot Tuesday afternoon to the sound of applause — because he had boxes of ballots with him so that waiting citizens could finally vote."

We’ve seen higher than expected turnout across the country and in the state. Google data masterminds say that this year could be record-setting and Pennsylvania officials expect 80%. 

Fox News wins with this headline: Campaigns aim for turnout as voters deliver decision in Trump-Clinton brawl

I have been trolling social media too. On days like today, I really love it. I love seeing my friend’s kids with “I voted” stickers, and discovering that the guy who lived across the hall in college is in fact a closeted Democrat. It cheers me to see how many people are engaged in the act of voting, and wearing pantsuits and protesting and doing all of the other crazy stuff that makes us who we are. It also, (at least for the moment) gives me optimism about the American voter. 

P.S. I’m sad that absentee voters don’t get stickers. I’m a social media pariah without my selfie.