BBC Reporter Logs on the US Elections

Justin Webb :: Washington DC :: 2013 GMT

There are some who say this election is a disaster and there is going to be a terrible, unhealthy split in the heart of America. Others are happy that people are getting involved. The huge turnout puts me in mind of the first multi-racial elections in South Africa. Americans are getting out and taking part.

Justin Webb :: Washington D.C. :: 1606 GMT

I am really struck by people telling me stories of them making real efforts to get out to vote. One man told me how he rang his mum and his aunt this morning to make sure they were going to vote. One taxi driver, of Turkish origin told me the other day how he had made sure all his family were registered, about 40 of them. None of these people have voted before.

The BBC Reporters are sending in personal thoughts on the elections as they watch in unfold. I like the informal approach and the musing tones of the entries. Check it out

I also found the BBC Election Maps really interesting. It explains the different voter demographics of each state. In the “past elections” section it animates what party won what state since 1948, and the president the people voted for. It’s quite crazy to see how from one election to the other, the country can go from a mixture of blue and red to all blue to all red.Election Map

And if you click onto the state, in the “Past election” section, it tells you the exact number of votes cast for the top two candidate in the last election as well as historically. It’s really fancy. You should check it out for the account of it’s great design, if not for the stats. I am very impressed by the flash designer over there.