CAMPAIGN 2008 – THE FINAL STRETCH

2008 Live Election Results Dashboard (LIVE REAL TIME):  http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/dashboard.html

Click on the “Map” and this will take you to voting results of 2004, 2000, etc.

November 3, 2008, 4:07 pm  Updated: 6:59 pm

Election Night Essentials

By Jim Roberts

Dear Readers:

In a matter of hours, it’ll be over. Or at least we think it will. (The 2000 election reminds us that nothing can be taken for granted.)

A campaign that began with John Edwards’s announcement on Dec. 28, 2006 is finally ending. And while many of those who’ve toiled since then to produce the political report in The New York Times in print and online might feel a bit melancholy about the story coming to an end, that hasn’t stopped us from gearing up for a huge night (and day) of coverage on Tuesday.

We thought it would be worth giving you a preview of what’s in store in hopes it might help guide you through all the information that NYTimes.com will be presenting.

Mapping the Results All of the coverage will be accessible from the homepage of nytimes.com. Starting at around 6 p.m. Eastern time, when polls close in a handful of states, we’ll be presenting you with two versions of the United States map: a statewide view that will allow you to track each states as it is called (or as each candidate builds up a lead), and a county-by-county view that will display the counties in which returns have begun arrive. The counties will be shaded according to the candidate who is ahead.

The states on each map are clickable; that allows you to zoom in on a state and then by rolling your mouse over each county, you’ll get to see up-to-the-minute vote totals for each county as well as the percentage of precincts reporting. So for instance when the results start coming in from Florida, one of our favorite election-night states, you’ll be able to check out returns in Pinellas County or Palm Beach County or Pasco County, just by scooting your mouse over the zoomed-in map.

Yes, you can see this sort of information on television, but we let YOU decide which states and counties you want to explore.

Read the rest here:  http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/03/election-night-essentials/

Electoral Map:  http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/whos-ahead/key-states/map.html

Election Guide:  http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/index.html

(SOURCE: Information courtesy of The New York Times:  http://www.nytimes.com)