Our exclusively online columnist here at The Chronicle, Jacob Wolff, has written today about the election from a place very far from North Carolina: Spain. Though his column is, as usual, a bit more focused on humor than on serious events, his “American abroad” status does offer a unique perspective on today’s historic events:
On a serious note though, go vote. When you do vote, think about how there are billions of people out there who are truly less fortunate than you. If I’ve learned anything while I’ve been here in Spain, it’s that this election just might affect the rest of the world more than it will affect many Americans. There are billions of people suffering across the planet every day, and the impact the United States has on these people can’t be understated. So please, when you do vote, I hope you think about which candidate will not only be best for the United States, but also for peace in the rest of the world…
While he does go on to suggest one specific candidate, Wolff does point out something more general that people may tend to forget. The decision citizens of the United States will make today will most certainly have implications around the world. Just what those implications are, though, remains to be be seen.
Catherine Butsch, a writer on our abroad blog, The Reformation of Pangea, also wrote about the U.S. election today. She writes from Paris, France, a place she claims is “just as interested in the Presidential elections as we [Americans] are.” Here’s a brief excerpt from her post:
At first I was surprised how invested everyone here seems in the election. As I embarrassedly admitted to a friend, most of the time I don’t care about elections in other countries, so why do they care about ours so much? But what Annie said makes sense. If Barack is really “the candidate for change” as he claims, then it’s no wonder that the world’s excited to have him.
As for me and the other Americans here, we’ll be staying up through the night to see the results of the election. There’s no way I could sleep through something this important.
We’re glad to see that, even when abroad, some Duke students are still interested in the election over here!
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.
