filed at 6:05 p.m.
Political analyst and polling guru Nate Silver, founder of fivethirtyeight.com, has a great election guide that breaks down tonight's results by hour and state. Some key points:
- Indiana is the first key state that closes its polls at 6 EST. But be wary of early results, since the northwest portions of the state are under central time, so results will come later than in the rest of the state. Moreover, Obama is likely to poll strongly in that region, as it is considered part of Chicagoland, a clear Obama stronghold.
- North Carolina and Ohio close their polls at 7:30 EST. As swing states, the results will be closely watched by both parties. Early voting in N.C. favors Obama by around 10 to 20 percent and in Ohio by 20 to 30 percent.
- Pennsylvania and Missouri close their polls at 8:00 EST. If Obama wins both, it will be very difficult for McCain to make up the deficit.
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