The Boston Globe predicted yesterday that election day turnout across Massachusetts would break records for any gubernatorial race in history. Today, the Globe offers up a Flash-based interactive map showing how precincts across the state voted for governor.
Closer to home, MassLive.com has available the results from all the various races in yesterday’s election, broken down by precinct, for Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester counties. And, thanks to funding from the Springfield Media and Telecommunications Group (sidebar: wireless feasibility draft report now under review), Springfield City Hall has available the election results from the city alone. (Comparing and contrasting is a fun little diversion.) City Hall even offered up an interactive ward map showing polling places by ward and precinct. What’s this? Clarity?
Further afield, Governing.com’s 13th Floor live-blogged the election, doing its best to cover as many states as possible. And a few citizen-journalism type projects attempted to follow election proceedings to greater or lesser degrees, namely Video the Vote, Veek the Vote, and Polling Place Photo Project.
I didn’t go so far as to have someone take my picture while submitting my paper ballot into the electronic ballot-eating machine, but I did visit two polling places in Springfield. My own was very sleepy at 8:45 in the morning yesterday. It went entirely too smoothly. I was looking forward to problems, obstacles, controversy. There were none.
So I visited a second polling place at Alice Beal Elementary School on Tiffany Street. You know, the one with all the freaky temporary classrooms out on the lawn. The biggest controversy I could detect there was that Dunkin’ Donuts had the nerve to set up shop and sell donuts to these voters. The school PTO was selling other baked goods as well, as a fundraiser. Back at my polling place, there were no donuts. I was outraged. Which candidate pandered to the electorate to make this possible?
By the way, did you know that state laws vary on polling place photography?
