Elections 2012

Some of the results may not be known for weeks, but the most expensive election ever in Washington state wrapped up Tuesday night. 

You may have seen maps of the United States divided into red and blue, based on whether Republicans or Democrats got the most votes in each area. What would it look like to map how campaign contributors vote with their dollars?

The first map below does just that for Washington state. It follows the money to show how each ZIP code in the state has voted with its collective pocketbook in this year’s federal elections. Have people in that ZIP code contributed more money to Democratic (blue) or Republican (red) efforts?

Hanson Hosein, director of the digital media program at the University of Washington, recommends top websites  to watch for election results and commentary on election night.

Hanson's Top 10 Resources For Election Night:

Eighty five percent of registered voters cast ballots in Washington state back in 2008, breaking the prior record for turnout that was set back in World War II. Secretary of State Sam Reed says he expects more than 80 percent will turn out this year.  Still, not everyone exercises the right to vote.  What about you?

Marijuana legalization and same-sex marriage are hot-button issues on the Washington ballot. Even after the measures are decided, the debate will likely continue and changes won't happen overnight.

On the eve of the election, Ross Reynolds takes the pulse of listeners and asks, "Is the nation better off today than it was four years ago?"

Scheduled for The Conversation, November 5 at noon.

Ross Reynolds talks with Secretary of State Sam Reed about how he is prepping for all the tight races. 

Nate Silver is the statistician and New York Times polling whiz known for his accurate forecasts of the 2008 presidential election.  Four years ago Silver called the correct outcome in 49 out of 50 states and picked the winner in every senate race.  But he got his start in baseball, using statistics to project how well players would perform over the season. Marcie Sillman spoke with Silver about this year’s election and the benefits and limits of data-driven analysis.

This election day, the U.S. Department of Justice will have federal attorneys in every state, ready to take complaints. It's a long-standing program aimed at combating election fraud and voter rights abuses. But the hotlines tend to be pretty quiet in the Northwest.

The election day program has been around for decades. But attorneys in Oregon and eastern Washington say -– at least in recent memory -– they haven't gotten any complaints. Western Washington received a few calls in 2008 about voter registration issues.

This year campaigns are able to make faster and more nimble use of ballot returns than ever before and target those voters who have yet to cast their ballots.