I also live blogged here on CapitalGig and via Twitter (@almacy). Here’s how it all unfolded…

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008

6:34 PM CapitalGig: Freedom Isn’t Free, but Coffee and Donuts Are http://tinyurl.com/5czf3e

6:45 PM Heading down to FOX 5 studios here in Washington, DC to participate in their election coverage tonight from 8 PM to 12 Midnight.

6:52 PM Virginia polls officially close in 8 minutes. Maryland and DC close at 8 PM ET.

7:08 PM Former Virginia governor Mark Warner (D) has defeated Jim Gilmore (R) in the Virginia Senate race, AP reports.

7:12 PM Twitter via @almacy: http://twitpic.com/k1mj – The votes are in and the winner is… Duck!

7:22 PM Dark, rainy night in DC. GW Parkway is slick, traffic steady through Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

7:38 PM Duck wins Presidency in local Virginia school kindergarten landslide. http://twitpic.com/k1mj Check out Duck for President, a kids classic!

8:03 PM Sen. Susan Collins (R) has defeated Rep. Tom Allen (D) in the Maine Senate race, AP reports.

8:08 PM CNN projects Obama wins New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut; McCain takes South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee.

8:18 PM Just arrived at FOX 5 studios in DC. Pulling into parking lot now.

8:32 PM First LIVE interview on myfoxdc.com webcast. http://tinyurl.com/6mslxm

8:42 PM Barack Obama has won New Hampshire, AP reports.

8:44 PM CNN projects that Barack Obama wins Pennsylvania. Wow, not super surprising but that’s huge.

8:44 PM Kay Hagan (D) has unseated Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R) in North Carolina, AP reports.

8:57 PM First LIVE TV hit on FOX 5. http://www.myfoxdc.com/

9:00 PM Former governor Jeanne Shaheen (D) has defeated Sen. John Sununu (R) in the New Hampshire Senate race, AP reports.

9:10 PM CNN projects McCain wins North Dakota and Wyoming, Obama wins New York, Michigan and Minnesota.

9:17 PM Rep. Tom Udall (D) has defeated Rep. Steve Pearce (R) in the New Mexico Senate race, AP reports.

9:22 PM Twitter via @almacy: Alternating between FOX5 TV and web. LIVE feed here: http://tinyurl.com/fox5web

9:34 PM Twitter via @almacy: FOX just called Pennsylvania and Ohio for Obama.

9:36 PM U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) has defeated Bruce Lunsford (D) in Kentucky, AP reports.

9:36 PM CNN projects Barack Obama the winner of battleground state of Ohio. Path is getting easier for Obama.

9:54 PM Twitter via @almacy: @kholmgren Thanks, Kurt. We are also live streaming: http://tinyurl.com/fox5web

9:57 PM Jim Himes (D) has defeated Rep. Chris Shays (R) in Connecticut’s Fourth District, AP reports.

9:58 PM Twitter via @almacy: @dcconcierge Yup, @epolitics and I are two cubes away. Fun times, hot lights! Colin will be up shortly.

10:03 PM Barack Obama has won Iowa, AP reports.

10:04 PM Twitter via @almacy: @willthomas interviewing Heather Smith, Exec Dir of Rock the Vote. #foxdc http://tinyurl.com/fox5web

10:09 PM John McCain has won West Virginia, AP reports.

10:13 PM Tom Rooney (R) has defeated Rep. Tim Mahoney (D) in Florida’s 16th District, AP reports.

10:14 PM Twitter via @almacy: @epolitics Hey, just saw you and some prairie dog on FOX 5 LIVE web stream http://tinyurl.com/fox5web

10:33 PM Rep. John Murtha (D) has defeated Bill Russell (R) in Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district, AP reports.

10:34 PM Twitter via @almacy: Next FOX 5 TV hit with @willthomas is slated for 10:44 PM. @epolitics Colin Delany and I ready to go. #foxdc

10:39 PM Barack Obama has won New Mexico, AP reports.

10:42 PM Twitter via @almacy: Getting set to go LIVE on Fox5 TV. http://tinyurl.com/fox5web

10:47 PM Twitter via @almacy: a slew of states about to be called at 11AM. Race ready to be called for Obama as 44th President of the US.

10:49 PM Twitter via @almacy: Looks like Sen. Hillary Clinton will be boxed out from the White House for the next four to eight years.

10:51 PM Barack Obama has won Virginia, AP reports.

10:54 PM Twitter via @almacy: @acedtect RT: We can now project Will.I.Am as President of Holograms.

10:57 PM Rep. Mark Udall (D) has defeated former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R) in the Colorado Senate race, AP reports.

11:00 PM Barack Obama has won Florida, AP reports.

11:00 PM Twitter via @almacy: @FoxNews is now officially projecting Sen. Obama as the next President of the U.S.

11:01 PM Barack Obama will be the 44th president of the United States of America, AP reports. CNN also projects that Sen. Barack Obama has won election as the next president of the United States.

11:04 PM Twitter via @almacy: Obama is leaving Hyatt around 11:35 PM and is expected to speak at 12 AM. McCain to speak shortly.

11:06 PM Twitter via @almacy: Campaign official says that McCain called Obama to concede.

11:09 PM Beverly Perdue (D) has defeated Pat McCrory (R) and will become North Carolina’s first female governor, AP reports.

11:13 PM Twitter via @almacy: How ironic that this my 1600th tweet on the night that we elect a new US President – as in Pennsylvania Ave. Congrats, Sen. Obama.

11:18 PM Twitter via @almacy: Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin taking the stage.

11:22 PM Twitter via @almacy: Sen. McCain officially concedes, congratulates Sen. Obama on winning an historic election.

11:24 PM Politico: John McCain concedes, says “this is an historic election… I pledge to [Obama] tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.” CNN: John McCain congratulates Barack Obama on his “historic” election as president of “the greatest nation on Earth.”

11:32 PM Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) has defeated John Kennedy (R) in the Louisiana Senate race, AP reports.

11:33 PM Sen. Roger Wicker (R) has defeated former governor Ronnie Musgrove (D) in the Mississippi Senate race, AP reports.

11:47 AM Twitter via @almacy: Top Twitter themes: President OBAMA, President-Elect, United States, Congratulations http://election.twitter.com/

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2008

12:00 AM President-elect Barack Obama expected to speak in Chicago.

12:01 AM Twitter via @almacy: Obama takes the stage in Chicago. Quite an impressive scene.

12:02 AM Barack Obama declares victory, says, “If there is anyone out there who still… questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.”

12:08 AM Twitter via @almacy: Just flipped through channels, Obama speech being aired on 21 of them. M*A*S*H, Frazier & Tyra fans rest assured, programming uninterrupted.

12:13 AM Barack Obama, in victory speech, tells supporters that his election as president shows that “change has come to America.”

12:16 AM Kathy Dahlkemper (D) has defeated Phil English (R) in Pennsylvania’s Third District, AP reports.

12:22 AM Twitter via @almacy: http://twitpic.com/k49i – @willthomas on the set at Fox5 in Wash, DC on Election Night 2008. #foxdc

12:26 AM Twitter via @almacy: @FoxNews Shepard Smith, “If you’re conservative and angry, get over yourself. We gotta move past this.” FOX 5 newsroom erupts w/ laughter.

12:32 AM “Good job, people!” overheard in FOX 5 Newsroom, received by thunderous applause. That’s a wrap!

12:34 AM Twitter via @almacy: All wrapped here at FOX 5. Thanks @willthomas and myfoxdc.com crew. #foxdc Headed home.

Related

Election 2008 Memento: Live at Fox 5 (Colin Delany, e.politics)

Election Night: E.Politics is Live on Fox5 (Colin Delany, e.politics)

At the end of my last post I pointed out that voters can take advantage of tons of free stuff today, November 4th, after voting. Using the election season to promote your brand is pretty smart marketing. For example, Starbucks is giving away free cups of tall coffee. So, I stopped by and it was quite crowded. I overheard one woman say, “I love the fact that everyone has their stickers on today.”

Several were gathered around the counter to receive their “Voter coffee.” The staff was so overwhelmed by customers, I asked the barista whether traffic had been this heavy all day. He told me that they had served over 600 cups and gone through approximately 60 bags of coffee since opening this morning. So, quick math here: 600 cups x .12 oz = 7,200 oz. Divide that by 128 and you come up with 56.25 gallons! And all this by only 1:30 PM ET. Wow!

Of course, I had to share with the Twitterverse. @dkarchner saw my tweet and responded:

I also sent out a note via Twitter seeking info regarding other perks available to voters today and here’s what I heard back:

gbyehuda @almacy http://tinyurl.com/55zdyp Chik-fil-a, many others!

LizMair @almacy I’ve heard a rumor that Chick-Fil-A is giving away free sandwiches to people with “I Voted” stickers

kholmgren @almacy – Chick-fil-a is giving out free food too!

deborahdawn @almacy The H Street Martini lounge will have a “free gift” for those with “I Voted” stickers.

suicide_blond @almacy my girl lem compiled a list of freebie that is impressive http://lemmonex.com/2008/11/04/exhale/

But, as it has been said, “Nothing in life is free” and some have voiced concern that giving things away to voters could be perceived as paying them to vote. To that point, BigWheelOne sent me this: “@almacy Unfortunately, voter perks are illegal. Anyone can get them if they ask.”

According to an article via KIROTV.com, here’s how Starbucks addressed the issue:

A statement from Tara Darrow of Starbucks says, “We’ve been excited by the number of positive responses received about our free coffee offer. To ensure we are in compliance with election law, we are extending our offer to all customers who request a tall brewed coffee. We’re pleased to honor our commitment to communities on this important Election Day. We hope there is a record turnout on Tuesday and look forward to celebrating with our customers over a great cup of coffee.

So, whether you visit Krispy Kreme, California Tortilla, Chick-fil-A, Shane’s Rib Shack or Ben & Jerry’s, there is no doubt that there are several options for how to eat free on Election Day.

Anything less would be, well, un-American!

Or do they? There are some less traditional ways to predict Presidential elections, as well. Let’s take a look at a couple, as well as some ideas for what to do after you vote.

Unofficial Virginia Yard Sign Poll
Speaking of signs, I was driving in to work after dropping off my daughter at school last week and noticed that there were quite a few yard signs in my Alexandria, Virginia neighborhood. So, just for kicks, I decided to actually count them today.

Some yards had more than one sign. Others had signs that were torn (likely vandalized) and patched up with tape. Still others were missing. A wire frame was all that was left of a McCain-Palin sign that I saw in a neighbor’s frontyard on Halloween. According to him, that was the second sign he had placed there because the first had been stolen last week.

Whatever the case, the final tally according to my count was Obama-Biden 21, McCain-Palin 20. Margin of error is +/- 3 since my 5 year-old assisted with the counting and we may have missed some.

Washington Redskins at Home
Gotta love Monday Night Football, especially on Election Eve. There was much discussion about how the outcome of tonight’s game might compare with tomorrow’s election results. CBS News reported it this way:

If the Washington Redskins win their last home game before election, it means the incumbent party will get to stay in the White House. Since 1936, except for 2004, the outcome of that game has correctly predicted the winner of the race.

Well, as you can see from the graphic above, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Skins soundly by a score of 23 to 6. More good news for Senator Obama – and my Fantasy Football team which improved to 5-4 thanks to a decent performance from Washington’s defense.

Scholastic Presidential Election Poll
In mid-October, 250,000 students from grades 1-12 voted in a nationwide mock election both via paper ballots and online. Senator Obama defeated Senator McCain 57 percent to 39 percent. Yeah, but what are the odds that they are right? From the article:

Since 1940, the results of the student vote have mirrored the outcome of the general election all but twice: In 1948, kids voted for Thomas E. Dewey over Harry S. Truman. In 1960, more students voted for Richard M. Nixon than for John F. Kennedy. In 2000, a majority of student voters chose George W. Bush, mirroring the Electoral College result, but not the result of the popular vote.

7-Election
7-11 convenience stores used their coffee sales this year to help gauge the pulse (most likely rapid given the caffeine rush) of the American voter.

Customers chose different color coffee cups, RED for McCain, BLUE for Obama. The national result is currently sitting at 60% for Obama and 40% for McCain. Similarly, 61% in my swing state of Virginia chose Obama and McCain received 39% of the beans.

Free Coffee and Donuts After You Vote
Growing up, I was never much of a coffee drinker, except for the occasional all nighters studying for college mid-terms and finals. Then, a few years later, along came Starbucks and I was hooked. This year, those who vote get a free cup of Starbucks coffee on November 4th. Their ad originally aired during this past weekend’s Saturday Night Live and if 262,000 views are any indication, there will be long lines at the voting booth and your local coffee shop.

When your caffeine buzz and sugar rush wear off, you might want to check out these “Election Day Freebies and Discounts.”

See you at the polls!

What do you think? Want to play pollster? A friend of mine sent a link to PredictNovember.com via Facebook which gives users an opportunity to predict the outcome via their own electoral map. Will swing states like Virginia, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida go RED or BLUE? You make the call!

The debates seem like a distant memory. Not sure they helped either candidate, but in my view the real winners were Joe the Plumber (aka Joe Wurzelbacher) and Twitter. In fact, Joe is still making news and is eviently considering launching a Congressional bid of his own vs. Democrat Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur for Ohio’s 9th District U.S. House seat.

In the veep race, Sen. Biden’s warning to “Gird your loins” in preparation for a major international crisis under an untested President Obama raised the ire of political opponents. At the same time, SNL’s Tina Fey had a little fun with Gov. Palin in a doppelganger appearance that seemed to entertain, but didn’t have the desired affect on moving the poll numbers. The Amy Poehler Palin rap was also one that will surely land in the SNL political skit Hall of Fame.

The MSM continues to pile on Palin regarding the RNC’s $150,000 clothing spree for her and her family, failing to mention that she will return or donate them post-election. News also broke recently about McCain campaign insiders who have been calling her a “diva” and a “whack job.” Sheesh!

Sen. McCain is attempting to hammer home the idea that Obama would govern like a socialist by spreading the wealth around, and potentially use the Supreme Court to redistribute it. Today, during a campaign event at Widener University (my alma mater) in Chester, Pa., Sen. Obama hit back saying that spreading the wealth is not socialism, but rather opportunity which is as “American as apple pie.” He continued with his Bush third term narrative and his tired “eight years of failed Bush policies” line. However, I have always believed that politics is more about the future rather than the past. Obama has purchased 30 minutes of television in primetime tomorrow night where he will get one last chance to appear before a national audience to make his case.

Meanwhile, early voting is experiencing huge numbers in 31 states across the country. Some people in North Carolina, Indiana and Florida have been standing in four to five hour lines to cast their vote and some polls are narrowing.

Also, in the waning days, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the “Digital Road to the White House.” Here’s a video that I pulled together for an event that Waggener Edstrom co-hosted with Politico.com at the National Press Club over a year ago.

The question is how do you break through all that fodder to get your message across? Well, the Jewish Council for Education and Research, came up with The Great Schlep and teamed up with comedian Sarah Silverman to promote it. Of course, she brings new meaning to the phrase, “Cuss and discuss!”

So, what is The Great Schlep, you ask? From the site:

The Great Schlep aims to have Jewish grandchildren visit their grandparents in Florida, educate them about Obama, and therefore swing the crucial Florida vote in his favor. Don’t have grandparents in Florida? Not Jewish? No problem! You can still become a schlepper and make change happen in 2008, simply by talking to your relatives about Obama.

WARNING: The video contains some harsh language so not appropriate if children (or co-workers) are nearby.

What do you think? Over the line or not – even for a comedian? If you are attempting to be funny, is it OK to spew a little racist language about? I think Michael Richards might want to weigh in on that.

Interesting concept re: travel in an effort to sway the “senior” vote in a key swing state, but her actual monologue would certainly be considered offensive if, say, a McCain supporter had used it.

If she wants to make fun of herself, her family or even her own faith, that’s her decision. However, her attempted comparison between an “elderly Jewish woman” and a “young black man” was simply racist. And, no, it isn’t funny.

Is this what we have to do to get people’s attention these days or more a commentary on our society?

Is this kind of video the future of awareness campaigns? Can you envision a major brand going this route eventually? The closest I could think of was the Bud Light Swear Jar on BudTV, which was funny and still used the “bleep.”

Whatever your take, it seems to be working. The Great Schlep Facebook group is currently sitting at close to 20,000 members.

To all you Floridians, if The Great Schlep actually works, at least the extra tourism will hopefully be a boost to your economy.

Related

Jackie Mason and the Republican Jewish Coalition responds. Thanks, Jeff B!

This cycle, it seems that the former veep has gone from counting chads to tracking tweets via the global TV network Current, which he owns with business partner Joel Hyatt. Current has been on the air since 2005 and provides a variety of short programs, or “pods,” created by users called VC2 producers, as well as longer programs produced by the network.

This month, for the series of Presidential debates, Current TV teamed up with Twitter (despite Gore’s lack of a Twitter account), to create “Hack the Debate,” perhaps the first real attempt at interactive TV (something I’ve been promised since MTV launched in ’81).

Here’s how it works: As you watch the debate on Current TV, you see a real-time Twitter feed on the bottom third of the screen. Anyone can participate simply by “tweeting” with the correct tag (#current). As new “tweets” roll in, the others fade out and disappear.

Not to be left out of the mix, NPR announced its own Twitter debate tag (#factcheck). People were asked to use the tag to report inaccuracies in the pundits’ answers and to offer a link to an original source with the correct information. The American people had access to the truth a moment later.

These two examples raise an interesting shift in journalism, media consumption, influence and engagement. The traditional lines were totally blurred here. Although TiVo and I tracked the debate on television (can’t live without pause and rewind) and I listened to a traditional journalist pose the questions, I watched the debate primarily online, where I was more ENGAGED, CONTRIBUTED to the conversation and even found myself INFLUENCED by information from OTHER VIEWERS – not the traditional peddlers.

Here are some other interesting uses of Twitter that I’ve noted during this election season:

• Twitter launched http://election.twitter.com, which is specifically designed to aggregate tweets about politics, Campaign 2008 and the four main candidates.
• C-SPAN launched Debate Hub (http://debatehub.c-span.org), complete with a Twitter roundup, a blog aggregator, and searchable AND editable video clips. C-SPAN has also been quite interactive with viewers on Twitter (http://twitter.com/cspan) by proactively engaging and thanking them for tweeting, blogging or embedding its content.
• In advance of Gov. Palin’s visit to Los Angeles last weekend, the California Democratic Party asked people to send her questions via Twitter. Those who used the words “Ask Sarah Palin” in their tweets may have found their questions displayed on a roadside electronic billboard that the party set up in L.A. They also used Ustream.TV to Webcast live video of the billboard on their site, www.cadem.org.

I must admit that some of this activity resulted in a bit of information overload. However, it actually made the debates – dare I say it – fun! So, as next Wednesday’s debate between Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama gets underway, don’t just sit down in front of the television. Fire up your laptop and join in the conversation. Oh, and a warning to those who follow me on Twitter: turn device updates “off” – I plan to tweet at a furious pace!

David Almacy (@almacy) is vice president of Waggener Edstrom‘s Studio D group.  Ian Benson (@imb3), digital experience producer for WE Studio D, also contributed to this post which originally appeared on WE’s Studio D blog.

Update: Former Vice President Gore launched a Twitter account (@algore) on November 6, 2008 with just over 23,000 followers as of January 2, 2009. However, he’s only following one (@current, of course) and just nine tweets to date.

Earlier this week, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide released results from the Young Internet Voter of 2008 Study. We wanted to learn more about Young Internet Voters (18-35 year olds) and how they are using digital communications to gather information about the 2008 U.S. presidential race.

As Waggener Edstrom’s Vice President of Digital Strategies, and former White House Internet Director, I noted several points of interest based on our findings.

• It’s the Medium, Not the Message: The WE survey strikes another fairly significant ‘blow’ at traditional media, finding that an overwhelming majority (76%) prefer online sources for news and information rather than the traditional news sources. The primary reasons for this shift in preference – respondents feel the latter attempts to control and shape the news in a way they find problematic and off-putting. Some positive news, however, did emerge for traditional media: 38% of those responding to the survey have more confidence in its content; as opposed to slightly more than 30% who have confidence in Internet content.
• Digital Strategy Trumps Traditional Marketing/PR: The study further revealed that the Web and digital communications have helped bring teens and young adults into the fold this election cycle – more so that the candidates’ themselves or their personalities (e.g. Obamamania). Specifically 57% strongly or somewhat agree that the Internet and digital media have facilitated them feeling more engaged in this year’s election process – more than they ever have in the past.
• Engaging with Digital Substance: While the Internet is surely playing a role and young voters are poised to turn out in record numbers in November, the campaigns have yet to engage young voters – a crucial demographic bloc in November – in substantial policy discussions.
• Getting Social: Perhaps some of the most telling statistics revolve around this demographic’s monthly participation in social media. For example, more than half (62%) of those polled indicated that they visited social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, 60% read blogs (compared with 25% who wrote) and 79% watched online videos on YouTube and other media sites. Many tout text messaging as the next step in online campaigning, yet only 24% have sent or received a text message at least monthly regarding a political candidate.
• And the Winner Is: Although the Internet clearly emerged as the medium of choice among this group, young voters also weighed in on the efforts of political parties to connect with them online. Overwhelmingly, 56% felt that the Democrats are doing a better job as compared with 13% for Republicans. When asked who they would vote for if the presidential election were held today, 49% chose Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, while 29% indicated they would support Republican Sen. John McCain – with 78% responding that they were certain to vote on election day or early/absentee.

These numbers should serve as a baseline for future campaigns, especially when targeting the growing Millennial generation. As they continue to age, their use of technology to communicate – and their ability to influence elections – will only increase.

Of course, turnout has always been the key to winning elections and it still remains to be seen whether online activity will translate into actual votes in November.

Related

Young Internet Voter.com (The Next Right)
[Promoted - The internet is becoming more and more important in politics, and Republicans are not doing well in that space. This is going to have an impact that lasts for generations. - Jon Henke]

It’s the Medium, Not the Messenger (Washington Post: The Trail)

The Web Is Where It’s At for Youth Vote (Advertising Age)

Reaching Young Voters Online (Porter County Politics)

On Message: With blogs, texts and Web videos, marketers pitch their products to young voters (AdWeek)

The viral nature of customization is what’s cool here. I see a number of applications, especially when building community, generating awareness or just pranking friends. Well done, News Channel 3.

Of course, I couldn’t resist and had to try it for this candidate. It’s actually quite funny when you match up the images with the reporter’s words. Simple, but funny.

Now go vote for a real candidate this November!