Stock up on munchies and make sure the batteries in your TV remote are fresh. With this year's presidential election razor-close to the finish, Tuesday could be a long night.
Even if the presidency isn't decided until after midnight EST, there will be plenty of clues early in the evening on how things are going for President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney. Obama has more options for piecing together the 270 electoral votes needed for victory, so any early setbacks for Romney could be important portents of how the night will end. The outcome in the battle ground states will be decisive and polls have shown both candidates to be neck-and-neck in these key states.

Florida - Electoral Votes: 29 - Most Recent Poll: Romney 49%, Obama 49%
Ohio - Electoral Votes: 18 - Most Recent Poll: Romney 49%, Obama 48%
Virginia - Electoral Votes: 13 - Most Recent Poll: Obama 50%, Romney 48%
North Carolina - Electoral Votes: 15 - Most Recent Poll: Romney 49%, Obama 49%
Colorado - Electoral Votes: 9 - Most Recent Poll: Obama 52%, Romney 46%
Iowa - Electoral Votes: 6 - Most Recent Poll: Obama 50%, Romney 48%
Nevada - Electoral Votes: 6 - Most Recent Poll: Obama 51%, Romney 47%
Wisconsin - Electoral Votes: 10 - Most Recent Poll: Obama 51%, Romney 48%
New Hampshire - Electoral votes: 4 - Most Recent Poll: Romney 50%, Obama 48%
Pennsylvania - Electoral votes: 20 - Most Recent Poll: Obama 49%, Romney 46%


Here's a timetable for armchair election watchers on how the night will unfold, based on what time the last polls close in each state. All times are EST.

—7 p.m.: Polls close in six states but all eyes will be on Virginia, the first of the battleground states to begin reporting results. If either candidate is comfortably ahead in Virginia, with 13 electoral votes, that could be a leading indicator of which way the night is going.
Virginia typically has been fairly fast at counting ballots. But there's a new voter ID law in the state that could complicate things this year. Voters who don't bring identification to the polls still can have their ballots counted if they produce ID by Friday. If the race in Virginia is super tight, it could come down to those provisional ballots. On Election Night, no one will even know how many of them are out there.
Virginia is especially important for Romney. In 2008, Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry Virginia since 1964. Keep an eye on turnout in northern Virginia's Democratic strongholds for an early idea of which way the state will go.

—7:30 p.m.: Polls close in three states, including all-important Ohio (18 electoral votes) and competitive North Carolina (15).
If Ohio is particularly close, and polls suggest it might be, there's a chance the outcome there won't be known until after Election Day, and the presidency could hinge on it. In the last several elections, between 2 percent and 3 percent of the state's votes came from provisional ballots, which aren't counted until later. In 2004, after a long, tense night counting votes, the presidential race wasn't decided until 11 a.m. the next day, when Democrat John Kerry called President George Bush to concede Ohio and the presidency.
Romney desperately needs Ohio; no Republican has won the presidency without it. Without Ohio, Romney would need victories in nearly all the remaining up-for-grabs states and he'd have to pick off key states now leaning Obama's way, such as Wisconsin and Iowa. Obama has more work-arounds than Romney if he can't claim Ohio.
In North Carolina, the most conservative of the hotly contested states, Romney appeared to have the late edge in polling. Obama, who narrowly won the state in 2008, has paid less attention to it recently. An Obama victory there could point to broader troubles for Romney.


—8 p.m.: More pieces of the puzzle will start falling into place as polls close in the District of Columbia and 16 states, including battlegrounds Florida (29) and New Hampshire (4).

Democratic-leaning parts of Florida tend to be the last places to report, so be careful about jumping to a conclusion if Romney looks strong early on. Most of the polls in Florida close at 7 p.m. Eastern, so by 8 p.m. Eastern, when the last polls close, results will start to roll out quickly. But fully 4.5 percent of votes in Florida weren't counted on election night in 2008, so if things are tight, no one's going to be hasty about declaring a victor in the state. Especially after the 2000 fiasco in which the winner in Florida, and thus the presidency, wasn't determined for more than a month. If you want to get really granular, Hillsborough County, home to Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, is widely considered a bellwether for the state.
Tiny New Hampshire is another competitive state to watch closely.

Also keep watch on Pennsylvania for any signs of a Romney surprise. The state has long been considered safe for Obama, but Republicans started running ads there in the final week of the campaign and the GOP ticket was campaigning there Sunday. No Republican presidential candidate has carried the state in nearly a quarter century.

—8:30 p.m.: Polls close in Arkansas (6), where Romney is comfortably ahead in surveys.

—9 p.m.: Polls close in 14 states, including battlegrounds Colorado (nine) and Wisconsin (10). Democrats have carried Wisconsin for six straight presidential elections and Obama had the edge in polling going in, so a flip here would be especially noteworthy.
Colorado, where almost 80 percent of voters cast early ballots, could be a straggler because it's so close. Historically, as much as 10 percent of the state's vote doesn't get counted on election night, and those ballots could be decisive in a close race.
Information from exit polls could help flesh out the Colorado picture: Young professionals and Hispanic voters were central to Obama's victory there in 2008, but the sluggish economy has hurt his standing.
Two more to watch: Minnesota and Michigan. The states long have been considered safe for Obama, but the Republicans made late moves there.


— 10 p.m.: Polls close in four states, including the last of the battlegrounds, Iowa (6) and Nevada (6).

Iowa's been leaning toward Obama, but watch how the vote breaks down geographically. Can Romney's advantage in GOP-heavy western Iowa overcome Obama's edge in eastern swing territory?
If Obama wins Ohio and Wisconsin, Romney would have to have help from the West, in places like Nevada and Colorado. Nevada, where two-thirds of the electorate votes early, has been moving Obama's direction in recent weeks, powered by strength in huge labor and Hispanic voting blocs. A Romney incursion there would really mean something

—11 p.m.: Polls close in five western states, but most are foregone conclusions for Obama. He gets 78 electoral votes from California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington; Romney gets four from Idaho.

— 1 a.m. Wednesday: The last of the polls close, in Alaska. Romney gets three electoral votes. Will many people still be up?
Political junkies could well be waiting to see how things play out in one or more battleground states.


- modified from the Huffington post. - www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/.../us-watching-the-returns/

Interesting Senate races I'll be watching :
Elizabeth Warren (D) vs Scott Brown (R) - Massachusetts
Sherrod Brown (D) vs 'little boy' Josh Mandel (R) - Ohio
Claire McCaskill (D) vs Todd Akin (R) - Missouri
Tommy Thompson (R) vs Tammy Baldwin (D) - winscosin


In about 24 hours, results will be in at least enough to give an indication of who comes out victorious after months of rigorous campaign, numerous TV ads and dirty brutal attacks.

Just watched Obama's final campaign of his political career in Iowa, he got very emotional, choked up and even appeared to tear up a little.

The race still looks tight but a small tilt will make a lot of difference and totally change the dynamics of the race. The democrats sound pretty confident about a victory tomorrow but with some concern about the shameless way the repubs have gone about their mission of fraudulently disenfranchising voters. That is the only way the repubs can get anything out of this.- FRAUD


I can't even imagine a Romney victory, a campaign whose foundation was built on lies and misleading information, he's been on exile away from the press for the past 2 weeks or so to avoid answering any questions and like the Washington post said last week, Romney's campaign is an insult to voters. "Mr. Romney seems to be betting that voters have no memories, poor arithmetic skills and a general inability to look behind the curtain. We hope the results Tuesday prove him wrong."

Remind me again why me or nigerians or any other country for that matter gives a......about the voting in the US?
Did americans follow ours in '09? I bet you, 89% of americans can't point where nigeria is on a map, just like how a guy said hers not too long ago, his co-worker taught nigeria is in brasil!?

Abeg, guy, knack your head for wall..

سحيميظل: Remind me again why me or nigerians or any other country for that matter gives a......about the voting in the US?
Did americans follow ours in '09? I bet you, 89% of americans can't point where nigeria is on a map, just like how a guy said hers not too long ago, his co-worker taught nigeria is in brasil!?

Abeg, guy, knack your head for wall..

The keyword is "you", just because you don't give a hoot doesn't mean we "other Nigerians" don't. If you cannot handle the heat, don't stay in the kitchen. In other words, if you aren't interested, cool but STOP spamming the thread abeg.

^^Well, I find it all so interesting. The whole world is watching and u shld too cos America as we knw it is the world's leading power.

Oops. I've been posting in the other thread. Let me move my comment here lol...

It'll be awfully close, but I see my president being re-elected for a second term. I hope I'm not wrong. Americans can be very fickle. I don't see how someone could vote for Romney, who has given several different answers for main issues. I truly don't know how a Romney presidency will be, and I've been attentive to everything he has said, not just now but since 2007.

I was dropped from my parents' health insurance in 2009 or so. I couldn't go to the dentist, optometrist, or any other physician. The Affordable Care Act was signed, and I have been reinstated to my parents' insurance until 2014. Also, I saw an increase in my tax return (even though I worked fewer hours in 2011) as I'm a working student. I used that money for school fees and transportation. I'm sure I sound like a political advertisement, but it's the truth. Not only am I very grateful, but I'm better off now than I was four years ago. He has my support.

My t-shirt finally arrived lol. The hurricane delayed its shipment.

This is gonna be a 'Hot' one. Hotter than 2008's Obama vs McCain

WTF..does dis affect the price of bush meat in the town,wefin cosine me wf us election,if you don finish ahm,just tell me make I travel come and flex for your country..

binger: This is gonna be a 'Hot' one. Hotter than 2008's Obama vs McCain

That election was more comical than anything. Everyone knew Obama would win. Not only because of the never-ending train wreck named Sarah Palin, but John McCain was a drama queen himself. Remember, he suspended his campaign in September 2008 to "focus on the economy". Obama calmly responded, saying that a president has to be able to multitask. Everyone knew McCain was done before the debates even commenced lol.

سحيميظل: Remind me again why me or nigerians or any other country for that matter gives a......about the voting in the US?
Did americans follow ours in '09? I bet you, 89% of americans can't point where nigeria is on a map, just like how a guy said hers not too long ago, his co-worker taught nigeria is in brasil!?

Abeg, guy, knack your head for wall..

Boko haram has spoken primitivelly

Ifiriority complex at its peak

سحيميظل: Remind me again why me or nigerians or any other country for that matter gives a......about the voting in the US?
Did americans follow ours in '09? I bet you, 89% of americans can't point where nigeria is on a map, just like how a guy said hers not too long ago, his co-worker taught nigeria is in brasil!?

Abeg, guy, knack your head for wall..

Am not sure I can point out where America is on the map too myself. Not too into the geography thing.

ogugua88: Oops. I've been posting in the other thread. Let me move my comment here lol...

It'll be awfully close, but I see my president being re-elected for a second term. I hope I'm not wrong. Americans can be very fickle. I don't see how someone could vote for Romney, who has given several different answers for main issues. I truly don't know how a Romney presidency will be, and I've been attentive to everything he has said, not just now but since 2007.

I was dropped from my parents' health insurance in 2009 or so. I couldn't go to the dentist, optometrist, or any other physician. The Affordable Care Act was signed, and I have been reinstated to my parents' insurance until 2014. Also, I saw an increase in my tax return (even though I worked fewer hours in 2011) as I'm a working student. I used that money for school fees and transportation. I'm sure I sound like a political advertisement, but it's the truth. Not only am I very grateful, but I'm better off now than I was four years ago. He has my support.

My t-shirt finally arrived lol. The hurricane delayed its shipment.

That is so cool! #TeamObama...he will win

binger: That is so cool! #TeamObama...he will win

YEPPPP... We don't want flip flopper as a president...


#TeamObama, please identify yourselves....

I hope NL front page won't be littered with the US elections today.we need news that concerns Nigeria and Nigerians.Mods take note!

I am not happy that Obama has not affect me and Nigeria positively, but I think he is a lesser evil than the Romney of a guy. Obama will have my support.

Nigerians and their drama

Wetin concern agbero with overload? It seems you guys don't even know what is going on in US. Contrary to what most of you think, the Obama/ Romney election is a case of choosing the lesser evil. Both politicians are both poised to play politics. You all are just opening your wide mouths and blabbing nuts. You need to come over and see their manifestos, then you will talk wisely.

As Batiatus said, "And what, I wonder, does good Solonius receive for convincing me to spread cheeks and accept deeper ramming?". That is what the winner plans to do.

I wish I was born American. This Nigeria shit, I'm not proud of it at all. We have everything, we are so poor. Mindless and callous leaders who call themselves human being. Pastors, preaching Love ur neighbor as yourself, which they practice not. We have high concentration of churches and mosques, yet, things are worse!!! Churches and mosques in my area now double the houses.
Anyway, God Bless America! May Nigeria Split for the best. Our almagamation is the greatest curse.

Billyonaire: I am not happy that Obama has not affect me and Nigeria positively, but I think he is a lesser evil than the Romney of a guy. Obama will have my support.

Why should Obama affect Nigeria? Has GEJ affected the US?

Plz, Nepa no gree bring light,
When are we supposed to c d results? (Nigerian Time)

Team Obama!!!! Obama!!! Obama!!!

pDude: Nigerians and their drama

Wetin concern agbero with overload? It seems you guys don't even know what is going on in US. Contrary to what most of you think, the Obama/ Romney election is a case of choosing the lesser evil. Both politicians are both poised to play politics. You all are just opening your wide mouths and blabbing nuts. You need to come over and see their manifestos, then you will talk wisely.

As Batiatus said, "expose azz for deeper thrusting". That is what the winner plans to do.

I believe that if you've been following, contrary to your view of what you think of how other view the election, the average person has know it's always been the candidate with the lesser evil. Everyone has known that - even I. We know Obama may not be the perfect candidate, had he made bad choices by supporting Gay marriage, and it likes? Had the Republican candidate fielded a better candidate, they could have had a better chance (we know that), but with Romney, the point has always been that Romney is of greater destruction than Obama. So in all, we know it's about who's the lesser devil and not necessarily about their manifestos out-rightly.

I wouldn't be surprised if we don't know the outcome until early Wednesday morning. Every single vote in Ohio would have to be counted before we have an idea, assuming that Obama takes Pennsylvania again and Romney takes Florida.

ogugua88:

Why should Obama affect Nigeria? Has GEJ affected the US?

Yes, GEJ has affected USA immensely. Haliburton, Chevron, and the other American businesses enjoy handsome tax regimes. Americans are using our crude at favorable pricing, we are repartriating our criminals who defraud USA to them as no man's business. American churches are laundering tithe money across the border to Utah State. Our politicians and Pastors are patronizing Boeing and other American Aero companies for Private jets purchases, need I say more. All these have the blessings of GEJ, if Abacha-like fellow is at Aso Rock, the music would have been different. OldBama needs to look for a way to affect me and Nigerians positively.

I was listening to Sean Hannity on my way home from school, where he was discussing the election with fellow "genius" Karl Rove. I nearly died laughing. One would not believe those wackos were following this very election. They were so calm and Rove bet that Romney would escape as the victor. He went as far as saying that Romney would win Florida, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio, Nevada, New Hampshire, AND Colorado. So laughable. If Romney wins all of those, then I will move to Kaduna. Also, they're really hoping that the storm affects tomorrow's outcome in the northeast, as that is democratic territory. Smh in disgust.

Does anyone know where I can get Cycling protective Helmets for my Team? I want to buy them today. Sorry for derailing the Topic

That the election is this close despite Romney's infamous antecedents is beyond me.
Anyways, Obama is nicking this!
Once again OHIO is deciding this election!
Ogugua take note! lol

nitlad: That the election is this close despite Romney's infamous antecedents is beyond me.
Anyways, Obama is nicking this!
Once again OHIO is deciding this election!
Ogugua take note! lol

Lmao I dey your back. It comes down to Ohio. I have family out there and have instructed them wella

Lol. My fear is long lines. Their voting procedures are comparable to that of 1980. Imagine that for early voting, there was only one polling place per COUNTY. I couldn't figure out why their lines were miles long, until CNN elaborated. That's nonsense.

Well it's wat it is. The U.S media. But I bliv Nigerians shud be more concerned about local and national politics and policies than whether obama is president or not. Anyway what we have in Nigeria as election is a sham. Time to see how it's done in saner climes.

ogugua88:

Lmao I dey your back. It comes down to Ohio. I have family out there and have instructed them wella

Lol. My fear is long lines. Their voting procedures are comparable to that of 1980. Imagine that for early voting, there was only one polling place per COUNTY. I couldn't figure out why their lines were miles long, until CNN elaborated. That's nonsense.

LOL... Abeg deal with it... There are new voter laws in some of these key states. They try to frustrate Obama, but we shall overcome

My poll station is like 4mins drive, and I'm leaving at 5:30am exactly to be there ahead of time. My station opens as 6am, the sooner I vote, the sooner I can vote, the better.