The Chronicle is chock-full of election content today, including a comprehensive election supplement, “Carolina state of mind.” If you don’t get a chance to pick up the paper, make sure to check out some of our articles online.
Ryan Brown blogged earlier about our trip to Yadkinville on Oct. 31. Now, check out Ryan’s full article on the most conservative county in North Carolina.
Christine Hall covered Yadkin County’s opposite–the most liberal county in North Carolina. She didn’t have to stray far from the Gothic Wonderland, because that county is Durham. (Both counties were chosen on the basis of their 2004 presidential election results).
For the big-picture view, you can’t miss Naureen Khan’s in-depth analysis of how North Carolina, once a dependable source of electoral votes for the Republican candidate, might help decide this election.
If you want to know what the Duke Democrats and Republicans have in store for today, and where you should go for an election night party, Lindsey Rupp’s article is a must-read. Rupp also included stats from the first-ever poll, conducted by The Chronicle, of Duke students’ political leanings. Check the supplement for full-color graph of the results of The Chronicle’s poll.
Election Day dawned dreary and wet this morning, with those who had not partaken in early voting bringing out their umbrellas and donning rain jackets to head to the polls. Polls opened at 6:30 a.m. and will close at 7:30 p.m.
Voting has gone mostly smoothly in the Triangle, the N&O reports, with the record turnout at early voting sites helping to stem the traffic at the ballots today.
The rain has also not dampened the spirits of local campaign volunteers who continue to work diligently to leave no stone unturned. It seems the Dems and Republicans on behalf of Obama and McCain are willing to drag you bodily to the ballot box if need be. The Obama campaign is running canvasses from the home of Duke professors Faulkner Fox and Gunther Peck (the mastermind of the early voting site, no less) while the College Republicans are heading to the Durham Victory Office to help out in any way possible.
Stay tuned to the Election Blog for hourly updates as this historic Election day unfolds! Subscribe to our RSS feed or bookmark this page.
Long lines and occasional bursts of heavy rain didn’t keep thousands of Obama fans from streaming into a rally at UNC-Charlotte Monday. The rain cleared by the time Obama took the stage, but not before soaking this Chronicle reporter and the two photographers in attendance. The campaign set up a tent to protect the traveling press (the reporters who jet around with the candidate) but left the local press out in the rain, leaving them to take shelter under the risers set up for the cameras.
Heavy Rain - Michael Naclerio/The Chronicle
Obama, who took the stage around 6:30 p.m., announced the death of his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who raised Obama in Honolulu for several years. With tears running down his face, Obama said he did not want to spend much time talking about Dunham’s death. “She is going home and she died peacefully in her sleep,” Obama said.
The Tear - Chase Olivieri/The Chronicle
Check today’s Chronicle for full coverage of the rally, and make sure to visit the Election Blog throughout election day for hourly election coverage.
Update: Justin Ruckman, who I met at the rally, has posted audio of Obama’s speech on his CLT blog.
Voting tomorrow? Already voted early? If you haven’t, Starbucks may just provide the energy you need to fill in those ovals tomorrow.
Nationwide, they’ll be offering a free Tall (12 oz.) coffee to anyone who says they voted early or on November 4. They’re not the only national chain offering election discounts, either. There’s a long list of eateries offering free items or great deals on Election Day, including Pizza Hut, Krispy Kreme and Ben & Jerry’s. (There are other free offers that we’d like to point out for our more “advanced” readers, too. May be NSFW.)
However, these chains have recently come under fire for potentiallybreaking certain states’ election laws. The jury’s out, so to speak, about the offers’ legality, but right now they look like they’re still available! So get out there and vote, and then make the rounds to collect your free ice cream, doughnuts and coffee.
Weather.com currently forecasts a 60 percent chance of rain tomorrow for Durham, NC. Is this bad news for Sen. Barack Obama and the rest of the Democratic ticket? Rain typically decreases turnout and at least one professor’s study claims that inclement weather aids Republican candidates on Election Day.
But, according to AccuWeather.com, the overall national forecast is mild: “no major storms or extreme cold will have an impact on people waiting in line to vote on Tuesday, as lines will be long with record amounts of voters expected to turn out…. History says that Tuesday’s forecast should favor Democratic candidate Barack Obama.”
UPDATE: TheHill.com provides an updated and slightly more detailed overview of Tuesday’s projected weather conditions in North Carolina.
North Carolina’s right-leaning coast looks to get the state’s worst weather, with 70 percent chance of rain forecast for the city of Wilmington. Meanwhile the Democratic precincts in the more Democratic-leaning Raleigh-Durham metro area have a 40 percent chance of rain. Obama and McCain are tied in North Carolina, according to RealClearPolitics’ average.
Perhaps the higher chance of rain in right-leaning areas as compared to left-leaning ones will cancel out the negative effect rain is said to have on Democrats’ success. (This update was filed by Alex Klein.)
