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American Morning
Election Day in America: Polls Open in Ten States; Candidates Urge Supporters in Final Push; Virginia Expecting Swamped Polls
Aired November 04, 2008 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, breaking news, this is it. It's the beginning of the end. After the longest presidential campaign in history, Americans are finally getting their say.
The polls now open in nine states and that includes Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky. The doors also opening in Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Virginia. In Vermont, polling centers have been up and running for the last hour.
And already we're getting our first results. They come from Dixville Notch, the tiny little town in New Hampshire where the voting traditionally commences after the stroke of midnight. And it was Barack Obama in a landslide winning 15 of the 21 votes cast and McCain getting six. It was the first time in 40 years that the village leaned Democratic in an election.
And the candidates driving hard to the finish line with a last round of rallies in battleground states. Barack Obama was in Charlotte, North Carolina, telling supporters if we take North Carolina, we take the election. That's state is considered a toss-up. Obama's final rally was in Manassas, Virginia, his 20th visit to a state that could go Democrat for the first time since 1964. Obama urging people to ignore the polls and get out and vote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In these last 21 hours, we can't afford to slow down or sit back or let up one minute, one second, not one moment. Even if it rains tomorrow, you can't let that stop you. You got to wait in line. You got to vote.
You got to take your friends, take your neighbors. We can't stop that now, not when there's so much at stake. We are going to change America, Virginia, starting tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Late last night when Barack Obama arrived home in Chicago, he's going to be casting his ballot there in a couple of hours and holding an election night rally tonight.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is live in Chicago. Now the polls show a healthy lead nationwide, but is the campaign confident that those numbers are going to translate into votes?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: They certainly hope so. And, Kiran, they've been working really hard to make that happen. We've seen just so within the last week or so, there's a video of Michelle Obama who goes up in these rallies and she explains simply how to text using your cell phone, a certain number that gets you automatically connected into their system and what happens is essentially, they call you. You get a text message.
We got one this morning. It has your name and then basically from Michelle Obama and it tells you how to get to your polling station. It even has a list of ways that you're located in your neighborhood, how you can reach out to other people who perhaps haven't voted.
So really it's kind of an extensive, rather extensive way of reaching out to folks. They feel confident back from the Iowa caucuses days that they were able to really get in a grassroots level of people talking to one another as well as reaching out to each other, communicating. They think it's going to pay off today, Kiran.
CHETRY: You know, and the other interesting -- it's really sad and ironic is that Barack Obama's grandmother, the woman he credits largely with making him the man he is today, passed away yesterday, just a day before this historic day. What is the family saying about that today?
MALVEAUX: You know, it really -- it's very sad. You talk to the campaign folks and those who are close to both Barack and Michelle Obama and they say, even Michelle Obama said that she certainly hoped that the grandmother would hang in there to see this day, that it was really a bittersweet day. And we saw a really rare moment from Barack Obama yesterday.
You know, he's talked about the loss of his mother to cancer. He's talked about being abandoned by his father, but we did not -- we have not seen the kind of emotion until yesterday at the loss of his grandmother, this in North Carolina. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Some of you heard that my grandmother, who helped raise me, passed away early this morning. And, look, she has gone home. And she died peacefully in her sleep with my sister at her side. And, so, there's great joy, as well as tears.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And, Kiran, you may have seen those tears streaming down his cheeks at that moment. Barack Obama calling yesterday a bittersweet day for him, but, clearly, he is pressing forward and, obviously, the services will be later in the week -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Really is a shame, though, right? The day before this historic election, as we said.
Suzanne Malveaux, thank you. JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Meantime, John McCain stumping late into the night on election eve, his seven-state sprint across the battlegrounds, finished up in the southwest. In Roswell, New Mexico, famous for its UFO sightings, he joked about winning the alien endorsement. At a rally in Henderson, Nevada, he urged supporters to be strong and fight, repeating his message that the Mac is back.
And it all ended in Prescott, Arizona, with a home state rally.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm confident because I've seen the momentum, my friends. I've been in a lot of campaigns, and the momentum we've seen in the last several days we're closing in the polls. All we got to do is get out the vote, and you can do it and I know that you can do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: CNN's Ed Henry is live in Phoenix for us this morning. And, Ed, when it comes to the polls, McCain is hoping against hope. But as he said, we got to get out the vote. Does he have the sort of grand operation that could get people out to the polls and make up his deficit and propel him into the lead over Obama?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, I'm pretty confident that despite that stop in Roswell, New Mexico, they're not trying to get aliens to the polls but you're right, they're trying to get every single Republican, Democrat, independent they can in all these battleground states.
You heard Suzanne reporting about text messages from the Barack Obama campaign. The McCain camp is the first to acknowledge they're not quite as text savvy. They haven't focused as much on that part of the so-called ground game turning out the vote. But, instead, they do believe that the Republicans still have sort of this vaunted machine that President Bush used so effectively, as you know, in 2004. Just the good old-fashioned door knocking, phone calls.
In fact, John McCain himself when he goes back to New Mexico today, is going to go to sort of a call center volunteer area where people are still today on Election Day, later today will be calling, trying to get people to the polls. So they believe that they still have that kind of ground game from 2004 in place. A lot of the same players like Steve Schmidt who's a Bush veteran now running the McCain camp. And they think that in the end, in states like Virginia, that ground game will make the difference and they're going to come back. So we'll see later tonight, John.
ROBERTS: You know, Ed, a long road to this Election Day. I guess, pretty much two years on the campaign trail and the emotion was showing last night at that rally in Prescott when Cindy McCain got up and took the microphone. Let's listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CINDY MCCAIN, WIFE OF SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: He has lived his life by the code of conduct, duty, honor and country. He has taught our children the same ideals. I am so proud to introduce to you tonight, my husband, John McCain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So, you know, Ed, it's kind of like that emotional, that it's over after that long, long, long haul. I mean, you know, those moments, you see them on the campaign trail.
HENRY: Absolutely. I think it's a mix of exhaustion, as you say, for everybody involved, including the press. But for these candidates and their spouses, I mean, they have been hitting this, as you say, 20, 21 months. They've been on one plane after another, and I think it's all coming together now for the McCain family.
As I talked to a lot of their friends here at the Biltmore Hotel last night as they were streaming into Phoenix, that this is sort of the end of the road for John McCain at least in this chapter of this life. He's either going to win and come back in fashion, or he's going to lose this. He's going to have to decide whether or not he goes back to the Senate. He's got two years left on his current Senate term.
I mean, my gut tells me that when you hear him out on the stump saying I'm a fighter, I'm here to fight, that he would probably go back to the Senate. But nobody knows. Nobody can get in his head right now. And I think Cindy McCain and John McCain got a little emotional at that event late last night. They have put their entire hearts into this and, as you can tell, this is a very, very emotional moment, John.
ROBERTS: You know, what about you, Ed? Did you get a little bit misty eyed? The fact that the campaign is over, I mean, regardless of who wins, you got to go back home, buddy.
HENRY: Yes. You know, I'm not going to have much of a vacation. We got to get right back to the White House, John.
ROBERTS: All right. Ed, thanks very much. Good to see you. We'll check back in with you.
HENRY: Thanks.
CHETRY: I'm sure he can take a break after the first 100 days.
Well, polls in ten states are now open and voting is underway. Let's head to Virginia where Barack Obama leads by five points in the poll of polls. And the election officials are warning voters to bring their patience because they are expecting the polling centers to be swamped.
CNN's Joe Johns is live in Norfolk for us this morning. What's it looking like out there, Joe? JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think swamped is the word, literally and figuratively. Right now, we're getting pouring rain here in Norfolk, Virginia. And this is a scene to remember outside an elementary school in this city. Hundreds of people with their umbrellas have been standing out here since about 4:30 Eastern time. A lot of people started gathering at that time.
They just now started allowing people inside the building where the voting is going on. It's pretty clear to us that they're letting a lot of the people in so they can stand in the hallways to get out of the rain. Virginia, of course, is one of these places we really want to watch very carefully throughout the state for a variety of reasons.
Number one because it's so tight, but also because there's been such a crush of new voters coming into the system, especially people between the ages of 18 and 25. Nonetheless, with all this turnout, there are real concerns about how this thing is going to turn out. We talked to one official yesterday who told us, he is concerned that there could be some people who were upset.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No matter who wins, nobody is going to be happy. OK. And the ones who are not happy, there are a lot of new voters out there. There are a lot of questionable voters out there. A lot of them they don't know what's going on and they're not going to be happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: So you have questions about absentee ballots here. A lot of absentee ballots have already been filed. Of course, you have questions about whether there are machines in the right places here in Virginia, whether the polls ought to be open a little extra because there's so many people.
We'll see how it goes. Back to you in the studio.
CHETRY: All right. I guess they'll try to make these determinations and they see how it goes throughout the day and into the night.
Joe Johns for us in Norfolk, thanks.
ROBERTS: All eyes are on the battleground states. Some could predict the outcome of the race early on in this evening. Our all- star political panel breaks it all down for us. That's ahead.
And we're counting down the minutes until the polls open in Florida. Election officials are bracing for the largest voter turnout in state history, but are the ingredients in place, or an Election Day nightmare?
CNN is live on the ground.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHETRY: You're watching the "Most Politics in the Morning." Thirteen minutes after 6:00 here in New York. And right now, voters in ten states are going to the polls. Those include Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky and Maine. Also New Hampshire, New Jersey, right here in New York, Rhode Island, as well as Virginia. The polls have also been open for a little more than an hour in Vermont.
And in a little more than 15 minutes, three more states open their doors and that includes Ohio. Yesterday, poll workers actually handed out bottles of water to people that are waiting in line for early voting. The lines, in some cases, more than three hours.
ROBERTS: And right now, brand-new numbers coming in to CNN from those key battleground states that will decide this election. In North Carolina, Barack Obama leads by a single point. He's also ahead in Ohio four points, 49 to John McCain's 45 percent.
In Pennsylvania, he's up by eight points. And in Florida, he leads by two.
And with the 36-day presidential recount in 2000, still clinging to that state's psyche, election official volunteers and attorneys say they are ready for an onslaught.
CNN's John Zarrella is checking back in with us live from West Palm Beach this morning.
John, the polls open in 45 minutes, are they going to be ready?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John, they're ready. And look, no lines, no waiting. The poll workers have arrived here. They're setting up for the impending voters to start turning out here. But you know, one of the interesting things, John, is that in early voting here, we saw those enormously long lines, two, three, four, sometimes five hours long; 4.2 million Floridians went to the polls or voted absentee already. That's 37 percent of the electorate.
And, you know, in Palm Beach County, for instance, you only have 11 places open for early voting. Today you're going to have 450 sites open. So we're not really sure whether you're going to see any long, massive lines around the state because of those differences now. It may be orderly process and it may just be a steady stream of voters coming through.
But again, nobody even here yet this morning to vote and the polls open in about 40 minutes or so. Now unlike 2000 in that fiasco, a lot of safeguards put in place since then. One of those is automatic statewide machine recount with those new optical scan machines that are in place across the state, and that would go into effect if the race is closer than one half of one percent. After that recount, if you had to go to a manual recount, it would be if the race was closer than a quarter of a percent. And that would be just undervotes and overvotes.
So some safeguards put in place so that we don't have a repeat here in Florida of what happened in 2000. And, John, I could tell you, it looks like it may be a good day to vote today as opposed to early voting when the lines were absolutely enormous -- John.
ROBERTS: Yes. There's just so many more facilities out there to handle people today.
ZARRELLA: Yes.
ROBERTS: But everybody can remember 2000, 537 votes and those margins in the polls so narrow now, how's it going to turn out?
John Zarrella for us this morning. John, thanks. We'll check back with you.
CHETRY: So it can be a record voter turnout and long lines. They are predicted across the country. Our political panel is going to be weighing in on the benefit for both candidates.
It's 16 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN")
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": They're saying now that weather could play a huge part in the campaign. Did you realize that? Weather could be a huge factor. For example, in order for McCain to win tomorrow, hell has to freeze over. I didn't realize that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, John McCain is dismissing those polls and the pundits and Dave Letterman predicting an upset in this historic election.
Welcome back now to the "Most Politics in the Morning." We're going to start with our all-star panel. Once again, we have with us Ed Rollins. We have Robert Zimmerman, John Avlon and Patricia Murphy. Sorry, I slipped over that one.
Is hell going to really have to freeze over?
ED ROLLINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yes. You know, I think John has been an aggressive warrior right to the bitter end and you always want to believe that the crowds in front of you are indicative of something bigger and better. But every single poll now has it over 50 percent and I think the reality is that, you know, it's just not there.
CHETRY: The Democrats are not throwing the confetti yet, though. What has to happen tonight, Robert, for you guys to finally say, knock on wood, it's over.
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It's called winning over 270 electorate votes. But --
CHETRY: Some of the early states coming in, though. You're not going to be comfortable when you see --
ZIMMERMAN: Let me tell you -- let me tell you, after being a veteran of national in 2000 and a veteran of Boston in 2004, one of the few benefits of tonight is I'm not suffering from overconfidence. But the reality simply is we're going to be looking at those early states as telltale signs.
Obviously, John McCain has got to overcome a lot of hurdles to get there. But realistically, I think Virginia and Pennsylvania will be very important early indicators but, of course, the real goal here is for Barack Obama to win with the type of mandate that enables him to govern. And that's why I'm hoping --
ROLLINS: Indiana is one of the first ones in. If Indiana basically goes against Republicans, the game is really over.
JOHN AVLON, REGISTERED INDEPENDENT: Right. But look, the real indicators, look at the battlegrounds in the last week. Democrats taking the fight into red states, Republican territory. You know, in politics as in sports, best defense is good offense. Barack Obama has been playing offense and there's no question Republicans are on defense.
PATRICIA MURPHY, EDITOR, CITIZENJANEPOLITICS.COM: I kind to look at Georgia. If McCain does not do well in Georgia, that is going to be the difference between a close election and a landslide for Barack Obama. Those polls right now are at one percent, obviously right there on the margin of error. George Bush dominated on there by double digits both times. So if McCain cannot be up five, ten, obviously, no where near 15 points, but if he does extremely well in Georgia, it will be a blowout for Barack Obama.
ZIMMERMAN: We've been observing that since 1992. Thirty-four states have voted the exact same way. And what we have right now or witnessing, is the fact that Democrats have been able to expand their campaign to a much broader region and that's an important strategy. Up in 2005, Democrats started to compete for the first time in red states and you see the fruition of it now from the Obama campaign organization.
CHETRY: And, Ed, you actually helped this happen with Ronald Reagan, with your candidate when we saw across the board route except for Minnesota. Is it the candidate that oftentimes makes the difference?
ROLLINS: Sure it does. There's an interesting survey that was done in 2006 that measured Barack Obama against John McCain, and John McCain won every single state except Illinois and Hawaii and the District of Columbia, 528 to 10. Obviously the world has changed pretty dramatically in two years and it's really about that candidate. One place has already voted Dixville Notch, a little tiny town...
CHETRY: Right.
ROLLINS: ... a historic town in New Hampshire, for the first time since 1968 has gone democratic. CHETRY: There were 21 votes there, though, but you're right. I mean, these are the small bellwethers that we look at.
ROLLINS: Actual voters.
AVLON: Biggest picture there is, look at the fact that the states may be realigning. The first African-American candidate may be winning states in the South. You know, may be able to be the first Democrat since LBJ to win over 52 percent of the popular vote. That's the scale of history we're talking about today. Those are the stakes, and that's why this is so exciting.
CHETRY: And what's the wild card, Patricia?
MURPHY: Well, I think the wild card, certainly it's the stuff like you said. I think something to keep in mind here, though, this is not happening in isolation. This started with the Democrats 2005, 2006. Huge Senate wins in Missouri, Montana. Big conservative Democrats in Indiana and North Carolina pulling out these wins that they didn't expect. So this is really a process that started many years ago, and Barack Obama is really the beneficiary of that.
CHETRY: All right.
ZIMMERMAN: Just one quick thought. While it's true this had been a building process, the reality is we're seeing a ground game, a field operation that is truly unprecedented in American politics. Ed started this with Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984, and we're building on it now in 2008.
CHETRY: You know, I think the joke, Howard Dean said, you know, we were the Wright Brothers and Barack Obama is Apollo 11.
(LAUGHTER)
So you know, there certainly is a change that we're going to get. In tomorrow, that how 2008 could be with it, that elections are completely done differently in the future. Very fascinating.
Thanks to all of you. We'll check in with you throughout the morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks.
ROBERTS: African-American voters expected to turn out in large numbers nationwide. How important are they to Barack Obama's chances of becoming America's first African-American president. We'll find out.
Twenty-four minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the "Most Politics in the Morning." New pictures in from a polling station in New York City. Polls have been open for about a half an hour there. Not that the outcome is going to be any kind of a surprise in New York City. But you know, the longer the lines you see, the closer we get to a potential record turnout in election 2008.
We could be on the verge of electing our first black president. What will it mean for race in America if Barack Obama wins or how about if he loses?
Joining us to talk more about that, Kenneth Blackwell, former Ohio secretary of state and a senior fellow at the Family Research Council. He is a McCain supporter. And in Atlanta this morning, Jelani Cobb. He is a professor of History at Spelman College, and he is an Obama supporter.
Ken, let's start with you. How critical will the African- American vote be to Barack Obama's chances tonight?
KENNETH BLACKWELL, JOHN MCCAIN SUPPORTER: Oh, I think it will be very critical and I think he's likely to get 96 percent of the African-American vote. John McCain can't base his winning strategy on anything other than getting at most four percent of the African- American vote.
ROBERTS: Right. Jelani, a lot of these is going to be about the level of turnout of African-American voters, particularly in states like Virginia, North Carolina.
Errol Louis yesterday in the "New York Daily News" was predicting that it could be as high as 75 percent. What do you think?
WILLIAM JELANI COBB, ASSOC. PROF., HISTORY, SPELMAN COLLEGE: Yes. I'm hearing higher than that in some particular districts, actually.
ROBERTS: Wow.
COBB: You know, overall, we'll see a huge groundswell of African-American support. In some areas in Georgia, we're seeing precincts that may have 90, 95 percent black turnout. And so I think that it will be crucial to his victory, to him winning, and we will see whatever the numbers are, they will be far and above what we saw in 2000 and 2004.
ROBERTS: You know, Jelani, a week ago the "Washington Post"'s Dana Milbank accompanied Barack Obama to a black church and he observed that, "That the big challenge for Obama is to get out the vote among African-Americans but in a way that doesn't frighten white voters." Does he have a fine line to walk here?
COBB: I really don't think so. I think African-Americans are motivated, you know, by many of the same things that white voters and Latinos and Asian Americans are motivated by right now. We're seeing the economy is really being the primary issue that black voters are concerned with. You know, what's going on in Iraq? Will I be able to stay in my house?
And so, I don't think that it has to be a specifically racial appeal. I think that the platform and the program that he's laid out has been very attractive to African-Americans based on the kind of issues that we all have in common.
ROBERTS: Certainly economic issues are a concern to everybody.
Ken, what do you think the net effect will be if Barack Obama wins the presidency? Will it be the first step toward a post-racial America or could it, in effect, brighten the lines that continue to divide this nation?
BLACKWELL: Well, I think the Democratic primary proved that we're in a post-racial America. And I think that we have the most diverse and the most vibrant democracy in all of human history and this would just be an exclamation point on it. Even if he loses, this would say that this is the most diverse and the most vibrant democracy in all of human history and we're only 232 years old and we've overcome a lot of human struggles.
ROBERTS: You know, Jelani, one question a lot of people have is Barack -- if Barack Obama wins the presidency, what happens to the people who went before him, people like Jesse Jackson, people like Al Sharpton? You know, there are a lot of African-Americans who currently are saying, hey, those people don't represent me. What happens to the old guard? Does Barack Obama become the new leader for everybody?
COBB: Well, I think you know, every four years, we have a referendum on where the country is going. And what's happened this, in this election cycle is that we've had a more acute referendum on where black America is going. But I don't think that these things are mutually exclusive.
There will be issues that are particular -- of particular concern and particular interest to African-Americans regardless of what happens when the polls close today. That said, I think that Senator Obama does definitely represent a new moment in black leadership.
And so, in that individuals may not simply be representing the African-American community, but will be able to represent a broad array, a broad constituency of America, and I think that's a new development. We haven't seen -- we don't have much history. Deval Patrick and Doug Wilder, two governors elected since the reconstruction.
So, we haven't seen African-Americans in this position electorally in very large numbers but I think irrespective of what happens at the end of the day, we will see more of this happen.
ROBERTS: All right. Well, we're certainly going to be watching very closely. Jelani Cobb, Kenneth Blackwell, it's good to see you. Thanks for coming in this morning.
KENNETH BLACKWELL, SENIOR FELLOW, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: Well, it's good to be with you. It's going to be a close race tonight.
ROBERTS: Yes. I think that by any measure, it will be. Thanks, gentlemen. Good to see you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
CHETRY: Well, it's about 30 minutes past the hour. We have breaking news happening right now. Polling centers in West Virginia, North Carolina, and Ohio are now up and running. The three states joining ten others where voting is already under way. And Ohio is huge for John McCain. No Republican has ever won the presidency without winning this state. And right now, McCain is trailing Barack Obama by four points in the latest poll of polls.
CNN's Mary Snow live in Columbus, Ohio, where there are going to be long lines and the polling centers say, you know what, just wait, bring your patience and maybe a snack.
Hey, Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kiran. Yes, absolutely. The polling stations just opening and people are trickling in saying they've seen the lines, they're trying to avoid that. This as the state braces for record turnout. It's expecting 80 percent turnout. Some people think that it could be even higher.
This despite the fact that about 1.5 million people showed up to vote early. And there were long lines here in Columbus and Franklin counties. People waited several hours. But for the most part, Kiran, as you just mentioned, volunteers were handing out bottles of water, snacks and even allowing some people to take breaks. We caught up with some people yesterday who were enthusiastic, but a bit frustrated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI MONTANA, OHIO VOTER: I guess we're like right at the top part of the line, where you think you're going to vote, but you see, you know, there's still a long way to go. They're like, just stick with it, don't leave.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Frustrated?
NOEL CARTER, OHIO VOTER: Yes. Don't understand why they don't open up more booths in more area. Because they got all these government buildings and they're not utilizing them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: 2004, Ohio was plague with long lines. The state is hoping not to have a repeat. It's taken several measures, including better training for poll workers. Also here in Franklin County, for example, it is double the amount of machines that it's been using, but it's going to be testing some new technology, including a touch screen machine this election cycle, but everyone is bracing for possible delays, long lines and polls that may have to stay open longer.
Kiran? CHETRY: All right. Mary Snow for us this morning. It seems to be the scenario that's going to be playing out in voting -- in voting sites across the nation, and we're going to be monitoring that this morning.
Mary, thanks.
ROBERTS: This morning, history is upon us as the epic battle between Barack Obama and John McCain shifts to America's voters. In a moment, a look at how the shell shocked economy define this election.
And while Barack Obama may lead in the national polls, this election will be decided in the battleground states, and in moments, how the electoral map is shaping up. 34 minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It is now 37 minutes after the hour. Of course, the economy has been issue number one in this election campaign. And we've been covering that here on CNN. But how much of an impact is it going to have on the voting here this morning.
Let's talk more about it. We got Frank Sesno and Chrystia Freeland, who is the managing editor of "The Financial Times" here in the United states.
Good to see you.
CHRYSTIA FREELAND, U.S. MANAGING EDITOR, FINANCIAL TIMES: Nice to see you.
ROBERTS: So, are people going to be voting their wallets today?
FREELAND: Yes, I think so. I think the election is the -- the economy, I'm sorry, is the issue in this election, and it should be.
FRANK SESNO, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: I think the wallet connects with the head. Because I think what the wallet does is it leads to that part of our brain where we say we need judgment. And I think what we hear from pollsters and what we hear from Americans again and again is what they're measuring is whoever is in there is not so much the plan. Because they're both saying more or less the same things. Stabilize the financial system, all of that.
ROBERTS: But they're saying it different ways.
(CROSSTALK)
SESNO: They're saying it in very different ways. And they're saying, you know, John McCain has been erratic and Barack Obama has been studied steady.
ROBERTS: But Chrystia, people always have real interest in bread and butter issues, or other issues that can trump those, such as the Iraq war in 2004. But do you believe that the economy will be the dominant reason to vote across party lines? Will Democrats tend to vote economy more than some conservatives in Iraq where Republicans will, or will they vote party ideology, instead?
FREELAND: I think the economy is going to be a stronger issue for people who vote for Barack Obama. And he is going to be the winner on the economic issue. But I think the economy is special this year because we're in such an economic crisis. You know, this is the biggest financial crisis since The Great Depression, and a lot of people are predicting that America is moving into one of the deepest recessions in 30 years. People sense that and that means the economy does trump everything else.
ROBERTS: Sure, there was a fundamental shift in the fortunes of the two candidates, when Wall Street meltdown.
SESNO: Oh, huge.
ROBERTS: John McCain looked like he was in the lead and then suddenly things turned around.
SESNO: Certainly was competitive. Here's a number that I tracked that really, I think, explains it all. 55 percent of Americans now in the latest Gallup Survey say they think the economy is poor. But if you ask upper-income Americans, whether economy is poor, what kind of shape it is, in the middle --first week in September, 26 percent of upper-income Americans, traditionally more Republican obviously, said they thought it was poor. It peaked in mid-October at 58 percent. It went from 26 percent to 58 percent. Now it's about 49 percent. So, upper-income Americans and others share this rating and that's very unusual.
ROBERTS: And you said, Frank, that Senator McCain has done a bad job of, quote, smoking out Barack Obama on the economy? What do you mean by that?
SESNO: I think so. Well, just exactly what will Obama do? What will all these taxes he wants to raise actually mean? If he goes ahead and does the health care plan that he's talking about, and sucks that money out or just throw the economy, what exactly -- what impact is that going to have? What is his plan to stabilize all these banks? I think a lot of these questions are still, in their detail, unanswered, don't you?
FREELAND: Well, I actually think that Senator McCain did better towards the end of the campaign in drawing some of the contrast (INAUDIBLE) economic policy.
And there is actually, I think, the response to the financial crisis has been very similar, but the broad economic philosophy of the candidates is very different. And we have had clarity on that. We've had clarity from Senator Obama saying he does believe in more redistributive tax system. That's the big deal. And we've had John McCain saying, essentially, I am a low-tax Republican.
SESNO: Right. Right. John, the look back has already begun. I was talking to a Republican yesterday. He said what John McCain should have done when the economy tanked like this -- Lehman Brothers went down and all that that was happening, he should have dropped all these Bill Ayers stuff, dropped all these other issues and focused exclusively on the economy, how he was going to fix it and how Barack Obama was not.
ROBERTS: Well, no question, regardless of who becomes president, they're going to have a lot more government involvement in the financial sector here, and a lot more challenge ahead of them to try to deal with the situation.
FREELAND: Yes. I think that's absolutely right. And what I can prove, it would be really interesting starting tomorrow is thus far the economic debate has been about politics. Tomorrow, it will start to be about policy. And we are in a whole new world. And I think, actually, 2009, no matter who wins, will be a year of huge government spending.
ROBERTS: And that transition between politics and policy is where the rubber really meets the road.
SESNO: That's right.
ROBERTS: Frank, Chrystia, it's good to see you this morning.
(CROSSTALK)
SESNO: Good to see you. Thanks.
ROBERTS: 20 minutes now to the top of the hour.
CHETRY: Navigating Election Day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've heard that some people are running into digital machines where they cast their vote and it doesn't necessarily seem to tally their vote to the right candidate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: More of Carol Costello's must-see guide to dealing with problems at the polls. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, breaking news. If you're just waking up, voting is now under way in 13 states across our nation. We are counting down to the next wave of poll openings in just about 20 minutes at 7:00 Eastern. That would include key battleground States of Florida, Missouri and Pennsylvania.
CNN's Carol Costello has been fielding viewer questions about their vote and any potential problems at the poll, and she's here now with her voter survival guide.
And Carol, so far, any reports of problems? I think we know long lines are sort of a given at this point, but what about specific problems?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, you want problems. New York City is going to have some problems. You know, New York State is the only state that still used those leaver machines. Very old- fashioned. But apparently, the polls were to open at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time. They're delayed because there are not enough machines and the lines are too long. So, if you live in New York City, please have patience. The poll workers are trying to get it together.
Another problem to report in New Jersey. It is confirmed, there are broken machines at the Pennypacker School in Willingboro, Burlington County, New Jersey. Apparently, a mechanic is now working on the problem and they're issuing emergency ballots to those waiting in line so they can fill out paper ballots until they get the machines up and running.
Well, I hope I won't have any more problems to report throughout the morning, but I suspect I will.
Now, to the Carol Costello Voter Survival Guide, to help you with the surge that is going to happen today. We sent our cameras across the country to ask voters questions at the top of their minds. Here's the first one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUCE HALFCOCKE, VOTER: My name is Bruce Halfcocke (ph). I'm from the Miracle Mile area, Los Angeles, California. My question is, if I'm registered to vote in Pasadena and now I just recently moved to the Miracle Mile area, will I be able to go to any polling place as long as I bring I.D. or any sort of identification?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Good question. A lot of people have registration questions, even at this late date. In California, if you have moved within the county, but did not re-register to vote, you will be asked to cast a provisional ballot. A word about provisional ballot. They will be a very big deal this year.
They are the ballots most likely to be challenged in a close election because there was some irregularity from the get go. So Federal Election Assistance Commission plans to send observers to states likely to use the most provisional ballots, and they are Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, Indiana and Ohio.
Now, that doesn't mean your provisional ballot will not be counted, but it will be reviewed and will be more likely than a regular ballot to be challenged and tossed. And yes, you can find out online or by phone, if your provisional vote counted and if you find it did not count, you're entitled to know why. Next question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW MAGGETSON, VOTER: My name is Andrew Maggetson (ph), and I'm from Woodside, New York. I live in Queens. And my question about voting is that I've heard that some people are running into digital machine where they cast their vote and it doesn't necessarily seem to tally their vote to the right candidate. Can you answer any concerns about that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Oh, yes, Andrew. Lots of people have this concern. There have been instances where voting machines recorded the wrong candidate in early voting, but those have been corrected and rare.
Keep in mind, the people really hyping electronic and touch screen glitches are the Republican and Democratic parties. They want voters to be on edge to keep some voters away from the polls and to pave the way for lawsuits if the race is close. The best way to make sure your vote counts if you're using an electronic machine like an optical scanner machine, it will ask you when you finish voting if you are sure of your choices. Look at that page. If it is not accurate, get the poll worker and ask them what's up with that. That is why the poll worker is there.
Keep this in mind, though, before those new fangled electronic machines between 4 million and 6 million votes were lost, it is much better now, despite the media hype. But I have some problems to tell you about, unfortunately.
Again, in New York City, some polling stations have delayed their 6:00 a.m. Eastern opening because there aren't enough machines in the polling places and polling workers just aren't quite ready. In New York State, they use those old-fashioned lever machines.
And also, we have confirmed, there are broken machines at the Pennypacker School in Willingboro, Burlington County, New Jersey. A mechanic is apparently working on that problem and voters are now being issued emergency paper ballots. I'll have more later.
Back to you, Kiran.
CHETRY: They discovered at 6:00 a.m. that the machines are -- they don't have enough machines in New York. Unbelievable.
ROBERTS: You can understand, they got caught by surprise, right? Nobody expected this election. Just kind of happened.
CHETRY: That's true.
COSTELLO: They're going to get it together. Think positively. All right. We have some people here that work at CNN that are e- mailing us saying they're waiting in these long lines on the upper west side, et cetera. So, hang on, if you can, because it's going to be a historic day for sure.
Carol, thanks so much.
ROBERTS: Hey, it wouldn't be Manhattan if everything wasn't a hassle, right?
CHETRY: Or, that you're not waiting in long lines, right?
ROBERTS: Exactly.
CHETRY: Far for the course. Well, if you see any voting irregularities today, we do want to know about it. 877-GOCNN-08 to report any problems. Again, it's 877-462-66-08.
ROBERTS: You want to see a line. Try to get a cupcake down in the village.
As we've been saying, it's the votes in the key electoral states that really count, and in just a minute, we'll walk you through these crucial states with our Magic Wall. 49 minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: We're back with the "Most Politics in the Morning" and we're shaking things up here at the Magic Wall this morning. I want to give you a couple of ideas of things to look for today.
When the polls close here in Virginia, you're going to be wanting to watch for what happens in the southeastern part of the state here. That was Bush country for the most part in 2004. He won it substantially over John Kerry with the exception of the area around Newport News.
Barack Obama, according to our latest CNN/Time Opinion Research Corporation Poll of Polls, is actually leading in that area. So, if he can pull off a win for the most part in those counties down there in the southeast, have a good chance of taking Virginia. Also, watch for voter turnout here in Richmond, particularly here in the northern part of Virginia, as well.
And one county to watch for, in particular here, is Prince William County. John McCain made his first appearance there not until October 18th. This is a county that George Bush won 53 to 46 percent. So, if Barack Obama could manage to turn that one around, that would be a huge win for him.
I was talking with our Leslie Sanchez just a little while ago. The county that she is going to be watching here -- I'm sorry, wrong one, is Lehigh County. This is an area that John Kerry won by three points in 2004. Fairly close race there. Why is Lehigh County very important?
Let's take a look at the Democratic primary results here. Hillary Clinton won there. She won it substantially, too, 60 to 40 percent. So, they weren't really happy with Barack Obama there in the primaries. John McCain is hoping that they won't be happy with him in the general election, as well.
Let's remind you where we are with the electoral map here. Things haven't changed much. 291 projected electoral votes for Barack Obama compared to John McCain's 157. John McCain really has to get all of these states that went red in 2004 back into the win column and more in order to turn things around. He's got to try to flip Pennsylvania or Virginia. He's got to try to claw back Colorado and/or Nevada but the numbers in these western states not looking good for Senator McCain.
So, this morning, as we go into this Election Day, he's got a very big hill to climb, not an impossible one, but a very big hill. 53 minutes now after the hour.
CHETRY: After all the shouting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: With your help, we will win!
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Fired up!
AUDIENCE: Fired up!
OBAMA: Ready to go!
AUDIENCE: Ready to go!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The significance sets in. A major moment in history no matter who winds up winning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can be whatever it is you want to be in this country. So, a parent can say to their child, no more excuses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Plus, former presidential candidate Ron Paul, live. He says our new president faces immediate obstacles on this history- making Election Day. You're watching the "Most Politics in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, whoever wins the presidency today, he will face a lot of challenges. When we look at some of the obstacles facing the next president, I'm joined by former Republican presidential candidate Congressman Ron Paul. He joins me from Clute, Texas this morning.
Glad you're up with us. Great to see you this morning, Congressman.
REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), FMR. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, thank you very much.
CHETRY: As we take a look at how things have been shaping up today, what are you thinking of? What are some of the things that stick out in your mind today? PAUL: Well, I think the obvious is what's it going to be like with a new president because we are going to get a new president. But the old problems are going to still be there. We're still going to have to deal with the Middle East. We have a policy now where we're going into Syria, we're going into Pakistan, we threaten Iran, we have bad conditions in Afghanistan and Iraq. So, those problems are getting bigger by the day.
And also, the financial situation is, you know, both candidates have supported the same old policy of pumping in $5 trillion worth of new money, trying to prop up all the mistakes made over the last 20 or 30 years.
So, the American people have a lot to think about and we do have a lot of concerns. Let's hope things improve. But right now, I don't see any significant change in policy on the horizon.
CHETRY: Do you think that there's a lot of promises that's got to be made during an election cycle that once either once either gentleman finally gets to the Oval Office, perhaps a lot of the things that have been promised aren't necessarily going to be realistic to happen in this current environment?
PAUL: I think that happens just about all the time. Have you noticed that neither candidate has talked about balancing the budget, but they sure have promised a lot of spending? No, nothing to be cut. Spending is going to continue. You know, deficits do matter, which I happen to be believe. I mean, how can we expect any changes? Government is going to get bigger, more intrusive in our private life. The foreign policy is going to be -- remain the same. We're going to be the policemen of the world.
So, really there's no offer of solution. You know, Obama talks about change, but what is he going to change? He and McCain agree with the total bailout package. They don't disagree on foreign policy, really.
So, the American people are going to be frustrated. They're enthusiastic now and they're hopeful and we all should be. But what's going to happen after a month or two if each of these problems I'm talking about are much worse?
CHETRY: And also, one of the things, Congressman, as you talk a little bit about what we could see coming down the road and whether things would change, there's probably more of a chance of legislation at least being passed under an Obama administration if we do see the House and the Senate both go toward a majority of Democrats, perhaps even a veto-proof majority.
And this is what former Senator Bob Kerrey wrote about, this impact. He said, "The primary threat to the success of a President Obama will come from some Democrats who, emboldened by the size of their congressional majority, may try to kill trade agreements, raise taxes in ways that will destroy jobs, repeal the Patriot Act and spend and regulate to high heaven."
Could a single-party rule actually be more detrimental to the country?
PAUL: I don't think there's any doubt about it. I think that's one of the strongest arguments for voting for McCain. What this country needs is little bit of gridlock on new legislation. You know, I think the only laws that we should be passing now are laws that repeal legislation -- repeal previous legislation. That's what we need.
So, no, I think it's going to be sad if we don't have any gridlock or any debate. I mean, if everything gets rubber stamped. Of course, I wouldn't mind a little bit of movement to get rid of the Patriot Act. That wouldn't be too bad. If they were doing the right things, it wouldn't be a problem.
But right now, there's no evidence that we are all of a sudden going to see a shift, that we're going to see new policies, that we're going to have a deep concern about the Constitution. That we're going to talk about non-interventionist foreign policy that would talk about the Federal Reserve, the culprit in this whole financial mess. Nobody's talking about that. So, yes, I think if we rubber stamp and see no gridlock and one party power, I think it's very bad for our country.
CHETRY: All right. Congressman Ron Paul, it's great to talk to you this morning.
Thanks for your take, today.
PAUL: Thank you.
