Game On

This is it, folks. Dredge up all the cliches, the Knute Rockne pep talk, the make-the-last-stand count speech, the whole nine yards. But now it's time to vote.

If you don't know where to vote in your area, here's a handy guide that will help you find out. (I checked; mine is the same place as always.)

I am a traditionalist. Even though Florida has early voting, I wait until Election Day, and since I get to work before the polls open, I will vote after work. The last big election -- 2004 -- there weren't any lines, but it was busy. I'll report in once I do.

As expected, the papers are full of stories about the anticipated results. The final polls are in with Democrats still in the lead in the House, including in some races that had been close (i.e. Madrid (D) 50% ahead of Wilson (R) 48% in the New Mexico 1st district), and a prediction of maybe six Senate seats, which would mean they have a majority there. And of course there has to be at least one article that forecasts gloom and doom for the Democrats even if they win; leave it to Adam Nagourney of the New York Times to be the party pooper.

For a combination of reasons — increasingly bullish prognostications by independent handicappers, galloping optimism by Democratic leaders and bloggers, and polls that promise a Democratic blowout — expectations for the party have soared into the stratosphere. Democrats are widely expected to take the House, and by a significant margin, and perhaps the Senate as well, while capturing a majority of governorships and legislatures.

These expectations may well be overheated. Polls over the weekend suggested that the contest was tightening, and some prognosticators on Monday were scaling back their predictions, if ever so slightly. (Charlie Cook, the analyst who is one of Washington’s chief setters of expectations, said in an e-mail message on Monday that he was dropping the words “possibly more” from his House prediction of “20-35, possibly more.”)

Some Democrats worry that those forecasts, accurate or not, may be setting the stage for a demoralizing election night, and one with lasting ramifications, sapping the party’s spirit and energy heading into the 2008 presidential election cycle.

This guy could be a downer at an Up With People convention.

Walter Shapiro at Salon.com provides some insight as to what to look for in the results tongiht, (assuming you're not going to be tuned in to re-runs of Top Chef and "The Birdcage" on Bravo).

While premature poll-closing hours are unfair to would-be voters stuck at work, they are a godsend to television viewers craving a quick fix on national trends. By chance, Indiana and Kentucky -- the two states that start counting votes at 6 p.m. Eastern -- are in the Ohio River Valley, which is the epicenter, along with the Northeast, of Democratic efforts to win the House. (Getting reliable returns before 7 p.m. Eastern may be tricky, though, because both states are split between two time zones and the networks may wait until 6 p.m. Central to call any races.)

Democrats have a shot at sweeping three Republican-held House seats in Indiana. In fact, the national GOP has scaled back its efforts to save Chris Chocola (2nd District) and John Hostetler (the 8th). That is why the first barometer race of the evening is a replay of 2004, as Democrat Baron Hill tries to win back the 9th District seat that he lost to Mike Sodrel in the southeastern corner of the state. If the Democrats go three-for-three in Indiana, it presages a long night for Karl Rove. Equally telling would be if any of the possibly vulnerable Republican House incumbents (Anne Northup, Ron Lewis or Geoff Davis) in Kentucky find themselves prematurely facing a new career in the lobbying industry.

At 7 p.m. Eastern, the polls close in New Hampshire and Virginia. While everyone else will be fixated on the George Allen-Jim Webb race -- the first hotly contested Senate race to report -- you may learn more by keeping your eye on New Hampshire. This will be our first sounding on the depth of the Democratic flood in the Northeast. The Democrats will be on the path to winning the House if, as expected, Democratic challenger Paul Hodes prevails in his rematch against GOP incumbent Charlie Bass in New Hampshire's 2nd District. But also take a quick gander at the margin in the state's other House race. If woefully underfunded Democratic challenger Carol Shea-Porter is somehow running neck-and-neck with Rep. Jeb Bradley, it could mean that virtually every Republican in the Northeast will be going glub-glub-glub in the Democratic tide before the night's over.

Here in Florida it looks to be a pretty quiet night; the only interesting races will be the governor's contest where Republican Charlie Crist, snubber of the president, is up against Democrat Jim Davis, and 14-term Congressman Clay Shaw is in a very tight race against Ron Klein. The pundits say that if Shaw loses, it would be a really big deal and a signal of the Republicans' problems nationwide. There's also the race to replace Rep. Mark Foley, who resigned to spend more time with his rehab counselor and chatroom buddies. Joe Negron's name won't appear on the ballot in the race against Tim Mahoney, but there will be signs at the polling places saying, in essence, vote for Foley to get Negron. Got that?

There are several referenda on the ballot here in Florida, including some constitutional questions. Kenneth Quinnell at T. Rex's Guide to Life has a concise breakdown and recommendations on how to vote on them, including the one about whether or not to amend the state constitution to make it harder to amend the state constitution.

So go vote.