Today’s Election News Roundup

According to Reuters, signs of how the election will turn out may appear as early as 6 p.m. when Indiana polls close. If Sen. Obama wins or keeps the race close there, it will be a good sign for his campaign. However, if Obama loses Indiana, signaling potential losses in other key battleground states, the race may swing in Republican favor. Other states to watch are Georgia, where polls close at 7, Ohio and North Carolina, where polls close at 7:30, and Florida, where polls close at 8 p.m.

The New York Times explains how to be the most plugged-in voter you can be during the election. Learn about where to collect raw data before the polls close; what states will be most pivotal in helping each candidate garner his 270 electoral votes; and what to believe when pundits begin making calls.  

Ill. Sen. Barack Obama and Ariz. Sen. John McCain will continue campaigning today, in a final effort to reach voters. Obama will spend the morning campaigning in Chicago, hoping to win Illinois, while McCain will vote in Phoenix, then campaign in New Mexico and Colorado. Although Obama leads in most polls, McCain has closed the gap in some pivotal states. 

Sen. Obama’s grandmother Madelyn Dunham died yesterday after a long battle with cancer. The candidate learned of the news at 8 a.m., but continued campaigning in Florida, urging voters to remain positive and expect a good outcome in today’s race.

Dixville Notch, a small town in New Hampshire, opened its polls at midnight last night and has since closed them, announcing that Obama won by 15-6 votes. The symbolic election at Dixville Notch is an American tradition.

Sen. McCain sued the state of Virginia on Monday, claiming that absentee ballots were not sent out in time to military members overseas. McCain proposed that the state wait to count all mailed-in ballots until Nov. 14, and to count only those postmarked by Nov. 4. A hearing for the lawsuit is scheduled for today at 1:30 p.m.

The findingDulcinea 2008 Election Web Guide highlights the best online resources relating to the candidates and the election.

Project Vote Smart describes the process of nominating a presidential candidate, with concise descriptions of the convention, caucuses, primaries and the process of awarding delegates.

An overview of the role of delegates and superdelegates is presented by the Council on Foreign Relations.

Daily coverage of the 2008 Election is gathered from media sources across the political spectrum and presented by Real Clear Politics to provide up-to-the-minute coverage. The site publishes daily political transcripts, including addresses on the campaign trail and withdrawal speeches. It also constantly updates and compares polling reports from Rasmussen, Gallup, CNN, Pew Research, and other major media sources. Additionally, the site provides a 2008 Primary Delegate Count, which presents the delegate counts of each candidate.

NPR provides an interactive calendar of past primaries. Headline stories that detail the events of the primaries and campaigns accompany the primary map. In addition, NPR hosts a “National Delegates Total,” with an ongoing count of delegates won by each candidate.

Minnesota Public Radio’s online “President Survey” matches the political convictions of respondents with the candidates’ policies in order to help voters make an informed choice come election day.

The New York Times publishes a constant stream of articles from the Associated Press. These concise AP stories cover new developments on the campaign trail.

As election momentum picks up, the Times of London offers British readers a glossary of campaign jargon that will be of use to many Americans as well.

OpenSecrets.org compares the total campaign donations for each candidate and looks into the war chests to see where the money comes from.