People all around the world are following the election in the United States with bated breath. The next president is poised to bring plenty of change to the country, but the whole reason that there is more than one candidate is the fact that there are plenty of opposing viewpoints about which changes are necessary. On November 4, 2008, the next President of the United States will be chosen after a riveting battle that is sure to last right up until all the ballots have been cast and counted. The ride to Election Day 2008 will have been one of the most astounding in all of history, with many historical firsts having been created: first African American candidate for president, first female Republican vice presidential candidate, first time that two sitting senators will run for office, first time that both candidates were born outside of the continental United States, and so forth. No matter who wins, the presidential election will have been one of the most notable in the history of the United States and will go down as the most groundbreaking presidential election since the beginning of the country.

Election Day is held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November, which means that it can happen as early as November 2 and as late as November 8. Because the Senate and the House of Representatives hold their elections every two years, many states hold the elections on the same day as Election Day as a matter of convenience. For that reason, Election Day 2008 will not only be a time when the new president is elected, but also a time for much change to occur in Congress. Not all voting occurs on Election Day itself, due to the presence of early voting and absentee ballots. Early voting is available in many jurisdictions and is intended to provide an opportunity to vote for those who cannot otherwise vote on Election Day, and absentee ballots are votes cast by those who, for one reason or another, cannot get to the polling stations in their home state. In many parts of the country, Election Day is a legal holiday, allowing people to get out and vote on the day of Election Day rather than having to circumvent their schedule in order to do so. Otherwise, provides a logistical difficulty for most jurisdictions.

There are tens of thousands of voting precincts in the United States and each person has his own voting station where he can cast his vote without having to contend with every other person in the city. These voting stations must be manned by election judges, people who volunteer, for a small monetary reimbursement, to facilitate the process for the rest of the voters. Election Day as an institution is objected by many social activists who feel that placing the day on a workday, without making it a federal holiday, ultimately decreases voter turnout and makes it difficult for people to actually get out and vote. They advocate spreading the day over a longer period of time or making it a federal holiday in order to get a more accurate sampling of the vote of the American public. Early voting is, in part, a response to this concern, but this has only been adopted on a state level, which means that some states still only have Election Day as the day in which people can vote.

On Election Day 2008, voters will be deciding between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain. Barack Obama is the candidate of the Democratic Party and John McCain is the candidate for the Republican Party. Although Obama has been enjoying a widening lead in most polls over the last few weeks, McCain is still confident and contends that the country is looking for a fighter who will work for every last vote. All of this means that every last vote will, in fact, make the difference in this close presidential race. There are several other candidates on the ballot: Libertarian Bob Barr, Constitution Party Chuck Baldwin, and Green Party Cynthia McKinney. Also on Election Day, the entirety of the House of Representatives will be up for grabs, with every seat in the entire institution able to be either taken by a challenger or held onto by an incumbent. Approximately one third of the Senate will be contested as well, making for the large possibility of a change in partisan power on Election Day.

The United States Electoral College system means that the next president will not necessarily be decided by a popular vote. Although a candidate could receive more actual votes, the election boils down to which candidate wins which states. Each state has a certain number of electorates, and the candidate that accrues the majority of these electorates is the winner of the presidential election. For this reason, much of the actual Election Day news coverage will follow the various states as they total their votes and award the state to either the Republic party or the Democratic party. Most polls today show that Barack Obama has a clear advantage in both the popular vote and the Electoral College vote, creating the situation in which John McCain will have to win the majority of the states that do not historically align themselves with either party in an overwhelming fashion. For this reason, Election Day 2008 will be a riveting affair as people from all over the country watch to see which state votes which direction. These so-called “swing states” include Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. Of these, Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia have the most clout in determining the next president because of their larger number of electorates, but every state will count in the end.

The presidential tickets are certainly among the most unique in this country’s history, something that will make the events on Election Day 2008 that much more interesting. The Republican ticket has Senator John McCain running for president. As a long-time Senator with a reputation for shaking things up, McCain certainly shook things up by announcing Governor Sarah Palin as his pick for Vice President. Since her pick, she has dredged up much controversy, but she is also credited with energizing the conservative base of the Republican Party. Senator Barack Obama and running mate Senator Joe Biden are a ticket committed to change. Obama has long said that the country is in for a change, and his inspirational stump speeches and his clear policies have made him a quick favorite among the working class. Biden brings the experience to the ticket that many of Obama’s critics perceived him to be lacking, making the case for a Democratic president that much more solid. Nevertheless, nobody knows what will transpire on Election Day 2008. As the House of Representatives and the Senate welcome plenty of new faces and the next president of the United States is chosen, people will be standing in long lines waiting to cast their ballot to help propel their candidates to victory. Election Day is a true testament to the country we live in as well as an exciting time for politicians and everyday people alike.