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Trouble at the Polls; Battleground Colorado; Virginia on the Line; U.S. Soldiers Following Elections from Overseas

Aired November 04, 2008 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: It is Tuesday, November 4th, Election Day, 2008. Americans pumped up and ready to vote in record numbers today. The scene live now in St. Louis, Tallahassee and Philly.
Will it be John McCain or Barack Obama? No matter which man wins, this election is a history-making moment for our nation.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Let's puts up live shots here. Live pictures coming in now from Phoenix, Arizona, and Wasilla, Alaska. We are waiting for Republican presidential candidate John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin to cast their ballots. Both are expected to vote this hour. And we will have that for you live when it happens.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and running mate Joe Biden went to the polls just about two hours ago. Obama and wife Michelle voted at an elementary school near their Chicago home with daughters Malia and Sasha looking on. Right now Obama is heading to a last-minute campaign stop in Indiana. Biden and his wife, Jill, cast their ballots at a school in Wilmington, Delaware.

The best political team on television is all over the map this Election Day. We have correspondents coast to coast in the make-or- break battleground states. And we will be hearing from them live throughout the hour.

Voters started lining up before the sun came up this morning. You're looking at live pictures from polling places. Let's see, in New York's Harlem neighborhood, from Columbus, Ohio, in a moment, and West Palm Beach, Florida, a record-breaking turnout is expected. Lines already long and likely to get a bit longer as the day goes on, as the nation chooses its next president.

We have reports coming in already from voters across the country having some problems, some trouble at the ballot box.

Let's go to Carol Costello, who is monitoring the calls coming in to our CNN voter hotline.

And Carol, good to see you. It's been a while, my friend.

I've heard you talking with Heidi this last hour. What is going on in Virginia, where it is raining? Are poll workers there being less than understanding about the conditions? CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: No. They're very serious about this. But Mother Nature has taken quite a toll on the voters there.

They're waiting in these long lines. And earlier today it was pouring rain and voters were completely soaked.

They went into the polling station and they picked up those paper ballots. And the ballots became soaked, and the optical scan machines would not scan them. So, poll workers had to put them in this big box to dry out. And then they, you know, put them in the optical scan machine and they worked.

But in Chesapeake, Virginia, especially, poll workers saying please, please dry off before you come into the polling stations, don't drip on our ballots.

HARRIS: OK.

COSTELLO: That's right.

Another problem to tell you about, this one in Florida's Palm Beach County. It's reporting problems with so-called undervotes, where machines reject ballots because voters are not filling out the second page of the ballot.

That page contains proposed amendments to Florida's constitution. The machine will spit that ballot back to you if you don't fill it out. You can put it back -- you don't have to fill it out. It will legally count, but you have to tell the machine you are not going to fill that ballot out.

HARRIS: Got you.

COSTELLO: Got you? OK.

And Philadelphia, Philadelphia has experienced problems with voting machines not working in at least eight polling stations. But election officials there say voters have been given provisional ballots to fill out, and they're marked with "EB," which means emergency ballots. They will be counted just as if you use that machine. So don't worry about that.

HARRIS: Yes. Very good. Very good.

I believe -- is this Wasilla, Alaska, right now?

Stay with me, Carol.

Is this Sarah Palin in the booth behind the curtain?

COSTELLO: It looks like her arm. I don't know.

HARRIS: We're not sure, but we are certainly -- I'm sorry. I was actually asking the control room.

COSTELLO: I'm sorry. HARRIS: Sorry about that, Carol.

But we are expecting Sarah Palin at any moment now, the Republican vice presidential candidate, to step into Wasilla City Hall and cast her ballot. When that happens, we certainly hope to bring that to you.

Any other issues around the country to report at this time, Carol?

COSTELLO: Well, you know, mostly we're getting a lot of calls from Virginia especially, especially southern Virginia, where they're having some problems with the machines. But the problems have not been widespread. I don't want to keep anyone away from the polls.

HARRIS: Got you.

COSTELLO: You know, the biggest problems, Tony, are those long lines. And as people leave work later this afternoon, it's going to be hell.

HARRIS: Yes. All right. Carol, we'll check back with you in maybe about 25 minutes or so.

COSTELLO: OK.

HARRIS: Appreciate it.

We want to hear from you, of course. If you run into problems at the polls, call the CNN voter hotline, help us track the problems. And we will report the trouble in real time with Carol Costello. Ali Velshi joining us in just a couple of minutes as well.

Call 1-877-462-6608.

And we are keeping them honest all the way through the election and beyond.

And once again, a live picture here, Wasilla, Alaska, Wasilla City Hall, the polling place for Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. We have the shot up because we're expecting to see Sarah Palin at any moment as she casts her ballot.

John McCain breaks with tradition and makes an Election Day stop in Colorado later today. The battleground state has voted Republican in nine of the last 10 presidential elections, but polls put McCain behind Barack Obama.

Dan Simon live now from Aurora, Colorado. And Dan, if you would, take a moment and describe the scene at your polling place.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We'll do that in a second.

First, Tony, but, you know, this is a battleground within a battleground. We are in Arapahoe County. This is a hotly contested place. You have an even number of Democrats, Republicans and Independents. And as one political observer noted, that so as Arapahoe votes, so goes the rest of the state.

We are in a high school library. This is Ridgeview (sic) High School in Aurora, Colorado -- Rangeview High School, excuse me. And you can see, Tony, look, we're not seeing any lines.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

SIMON: And the reasons why it's so quiet is because early voting in this state has been such a success. About half of the state's voters have already voted.

And this is what they call a super polling station. You have three different precincts. Each desk represents a precinct. You've got one, two and three.

How many people could potentially vote here? Your name is Dorothy, correct?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

SIMON: How many people could vote here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess about 600 or more.

SIMON: About 600. And how many have you seen?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've seen, let's see, about 18.

SIMON: You've seen 18 people.

So that really tells the story here, Tony. And to be perfectly honest, this is what they wanted to see.

HARRIS: Yes.

SIMON: They didn't want to see long lines here in Colorado. That's why they instituted the early voting, which they've had here for a number of years. But because there's such great interest in the race this year, they've seen a spike in the numbers.

So we're going to keep an eye on things here in Colorado. And as you mentioned, John McCain going to be in the state later today. He's going to be in Grand Junction, which is a very conservative part of the state.

HARRIS: All right. Dan, good to see you.

Dan Simon for us in Aurora, Colorado.

Once again we're going to show you these live pictures of Wasilla City Hall. We're expecting to see Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin casting her ballot for the McCain/Palin ticket at any moment now. Maybe we'll squeeze that picture so we can keep it up for you?

Is that Sarah Palin in the background there? No, it's not. All right.

I knew my eyes weren't deceiving me. Sarah Palin, as you can see in the coat -- there she is, moving into the foreground now, hugging folks along the way, about to cast her ballot.

Why don't we stay with this for a moment?

Anchorage -- she arrived into Anchorage at about 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, and has made her way, as you can see here, to Wasilla City Hall, where she once served as mayor. It's going to be a busy day for Sarah Palin, as you would imagine.

From here, she will join John McCain in Arizona for the rest of the day. And in Arizona she will wait there, alongside John McCain, for the results to roll in on this night in Phoenix, Arizona. Exactly.

That's at the Biltmore.

One of the clear highlights for Sarah Palin on the campaign certainly was her night at the Republican National Convention. And a wonderful speech there, well received by just about everyone.

The road has been rocky since that time, of course. But there is no doubt in anyone's mind, it must be reported, that she has certainly done one of her main jobs, and done it very well, which was to galvanize the base of the Republican Party. You hear that over and over again. That is exactly what she was able to do, to bring tremendous excitement to that ticket that for many was a ticket that was sort of sagging in excitement and emotion.

Sarah Palin was tapped by John McCain, and by all accounts, really brought a burst of energy and excitement and real momentum to the John McCain campaign. And you'll recall it was -- there was a period in time right after the Republican National Convention that in many of the polls John McCain and Sarah Palin were actually leading Barack Obama and Joe Biden, in many national polls.

The tide has certainly changed. And you can probably point to the middle of September and Lehman Brothers -- maybe it was that first -- maybe September 15th, Lehman Brothers, that Monday you'll all recall, filing for bankruptcy. And that seemed to just usher in all of the bad news in one constant wave on the economy.

And at that time we certainly saw the fortunes of this ticket take a turn. So that as we come to this Election Day, many of the national polls have the McCain/Palin ticket trailing Barack Obama and Joe Biden nationally. But, of course, we always remind people that you must play close attention to the polling coming out of the battleground states. And of course we're talking about Virginia and Florida, that battleground that is Ohio.

Some say Pennsylvania has developed into a bit of a battleground. That is arguable.

But there she is, having cast her ballot. The vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin casting her ballot at Wasilla City Hall.

And I believe -- is that correct, Kelly (ph)? She's scheduled to leave 1:45 Eastern Time for the trip to Phoenix?

OK, great.

Departing Anchorage 1:45 Eastern Time to join John McCain in Phoenix, Arizona, watch the results come in at the Biltmore tonight in Phoenix.

Sarah Palin casting her ballot for the McCain/Palin ticket in Wasilla, Alaska.

Now to Missouri.

It went for President Bush in the last two elections. Today it is an absolute tossup.

Let's check in with our Ed Lavandera at a polling station just outside of St. Louis.

And Ed, if you would, describe the scene at your polling station.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, about an hour or so ago, a little more than an hour or so ago, the line wrapped out of the door here and down the sidewalk, all the way to the street. About an hour and a half wait for those voters. But that line has diminished quite a bit here.

Recently, a little bit of a lull here this morning. The line is just inside the door now, taking people about 30 minutes to vote. So, considering this is probably a good time for all of these voters around here to come back out to the polls, we are at the First Congregational Church, the United Church of Christ in Webster Groves, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.

Which is interesting because a lot of focus being paid attention to the suburbs of St. Louis and Kansas City today, as many people believe Barack Obama has gained quite a bit of traction here, and that these suburbs could really determine how the election plays out in the state of Missouri.

As you mentioned, according to the polls, both of these candidates, McCain and Obama, tied up in a dead heat here in this state. So, traditionally, Democrats have focused on turning out voters in the cities of St. Louis and Kansas City, Republicans focused in the middle and rural parts of the country. So these suburbs really could turn the tide here either way for either of these candidates.

We also want to pass along some voter issues that we're hearing about this morning from the Kansas City area, in the city's Fifth Ward, where some three polling locations, the wrong registration rolls were delivered to these polling locations. And that has delayed and created quite a bit of long lines for those voters in these three precincts. So, as far as we can tell right now, they're investigating the issue as to what exactly has gone wrong. I think they're trying to get the correct voter registration rolls to their proper places and these books to their proper places. So, at this point it appears to be isolated. But in those particular areas, some rather long lines to report there this morning -- Tony.

HARRIS: Hey, Ed, I suppose we placed you at that location because we expected -- oh, John McCain. OK.

Let's go to John McCain.

Sorry, Ed. We'll get back to you in just a couple of minutes.

John McCain I understand, is pulling up at his polling place. It is the Albright United Methodist Church.

Did we miss the moment when he jumped out of his vehicle and -- OK. We just missed him hopping out of his vehicle and moving into the polling place there at Albright United Methodist Church. And I suppose we just don't have a camera inside that polling place right now.

But I promise you we will get a shot of John McCain coming out of that polling station after he casts his vote.

Virginia, the mother of presidents and a dependable red state since the Nixon era, that may change today.

CNN's Joe Johns in Virginia Beach this morning.

And Joe, if you would, I'm asking the same question of all of our correspondents. Describe the scene at your polling place, if you would, please.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you've heard so much about get out the vote, get out the vote with both of the candidates, both of the campaigns. Well, this is what happened -- they got out the vote.

There's a lot of folks out there you can see. This is a line in Virginia Beach, Virginia, at the Mount Olive Baptist Church, about 120 people, I'm told, or so standing in line.

This is one of the places, one of the very few places in Virginia that actually had problems this morning. They had about 300, 400 people in line, and they didn't open on time, around 6:00 Eastern Time.

The guy who was supposed to be here to open the doors to put all the equipment in place just didn't make it. So they had to sort of jump through some hoops.

There's a fellow over here. I'm going to ask him to come over in just a minute. He's been talking to me a little bit about the problems you see. They're kind of typical problems, we're told -- human error, that kind of thing.

What's your name?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Durant (ph).

JOHNS: And what's your first name?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hugh.

JOHNS: All right. So what are seeing out here? You've been out her for a while.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I've been seeing a lot of people, and also seeing a lot of confusion with all the polls here. And one person that came from Holland (ph) Road precinct was told to come to Mount Olive. They had -- was given a letter to give.

JOHNS: Right. There was confusion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Confusion, right.

JOHNS: Right. And this is a person who didn't know where she was going to vote?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. That's the person who didn't know where she was going to vote.

Then on top of that, there was at matter of the polls didn't open here until about 6:30 this morning.

JOHNS: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They had a lot of confusion. They didn't have no ballots...

JOHNS: They didn't have anybody here. Exactly.

In fact, what we were told from the board of elections in the state is that there are really only three places that didn't open in the state of Virginia, two of those human error. Apparently this was one of those human error locations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was a major human error here.

JOHNS: You got it.

All right. Well, thanks very much, Mr. Durant. Good to see you.

And that's the story really here in this area, at least. We have relative problems, but people are calm, they're patient, and that's the whole idea.

You really don't want to dampen the spirit out here, because it was raining. And I saw at another polling station just, frankly, huge numbers standing out in the rain a half an hour before the polls even opened. People are excited. HARRIS: Yes, absolutely. Joe, I hate to cut you off but we've got some shots of John McCain having just cast his ballot. You can tell we've got John McCain because the cameras are losing their minds and running all over the place here.

John McCain -- I'd love to see John McCain -- having just cast his ballot at Albright United Methodist Church. Boy, what must be going through his mind today?

What a long trip this has been for John McCain when you think about it, dating all the way back to 2000. And look, it's not over.

He certainly has cast his ballot for the McCain/Palin ticket. From here we understand he has several interviews.

And someone in the control room, if you see John McCain, just shout in my ear here because I haven't seen him yet.

A series of media interviews to come. John McCain will make two quick visits -- I don't know if we mentioned it yet -- two quick visits, campaign stops, really, to neighboring states that voted for President Bush four years ago but now are leaning toward Barack Obama.

He will hold a 2:15 p.m. Eastern Time event at an airplane hangar. That's at Grand Junction, Colorado, the airport there at Grand Junction.

I still haven't seen him.

John McCain then goes to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for an event with voters. And that's later this afternoon before returning to Phoenix, where he will be joined by his running mate Sarah Palin at a party at the Biltmore Hotel to watch the results come in.

OK. More live pictures from across the country as you and your friends vote.

We're also asking you to keep in touch with us by sending us your iReports. Just send them to ireport.com.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Hey, let's send you quickly back to Wasilla, Alaska, now with Sarah Palin.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GOV. SARAH PALIN (R-AK), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And that is today.

Now, tomorrow, I hope, I pray, I believe that I'll be able to wake up as vice president-elect and be able to get to work in a transition mode with the president-elect, John McCain. So anxious to get to work for the American people. So we have a very optimistic, very confident view of what's going to happen today. And again, just so glad to get to be home in Wasilla to cast this vote, because forever I'm going to be Sarah from Alaska. And it's an honor to get to be here with my friends and my family.

Got anything to say?

TODD PALIN, SARAH PALIN'S HUSBAND: It's just great to be home for a couple hours here.

S. PALIN: For an hour (ph).

T. PALIN: And then we'll be back tomorrow. So it's been a great experience.

S. PALIN: Yes. Yes.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

S. PALIN: I am also exercising my right to privacy. And I don't have to tell anybody who I vote for. Nobody does. And that's really cool about America, also.

And I think some significance here, also, that you can appreciate, you who have traveled a long way to be here to even cover this vote, is, now, you can recognize how far removed Alaska is from Washington politics, which is good. That is healthy. It's a great perspective that I bring to this whole Washington, Wall Street arena.

Here in Alaska, where we've cleaned up corruption and we've taken on some self-dealing and self-interests, we've been able to really put government back on the side of the people. I hope, pray, believe that I'll be able to do that as vice president for everybody in America, helping to transform our national government, too.

So I'm glad you guys made the trip all the way up here to Alaska. Hopefully you're enjoying the beautiful weather, the crispness, the cleanliness of this most beautiful state.

QUESTION: Governor, a history-making day today no matter what happens. What does this moment mean to you, perhaps a threshold of history, you perhaps becoming the first female vice president?

S. PALIN: And I do recognize that this is an historical event no matter which ticket, of course, prevails. And there, too, it bodes so well for the progress that our great country is making. And barriers, of course, being removed and glass ceilings being shattered. Again, as the representation on both tickets will show.

QUESTION: Six years ago you served here as mayor. (INAUDIBLE) any point over the course of the flight home last night?

S. PALIN: You know, what hits home to me again is this is the land of possibilities and opportunities in America. If you work hard and if you are prepared for opportunities and open doors in front of you, you're going to be able to progress, you're going to be able to succeed. And I think that is what this day for me represents.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE).

S. PALIN: You know, being in those chambers, city council chambers -- and yes, back in '92, that's where I began as a city council member. I think local government is the most responsive and most responsible. So it's also in a way the toughest, because you're there on the front lines every single day, especially as mayor.

The buck is stopping at your desk. And you have to work in a bipartisan, nonpartisan manner kin order to get things done for your community.

Local government is a tough job, sometimes kind of thankless. So it's been great training grounds to move from city council, to mayor and manager of this city, to governor, and now, again, hopefully to vice president.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

S. PALIN: The report that came out yesterday I am so thankful for. Now, some, I tell you, you didn't believe us.

We told you that we had done nothing wrong, that I had done nothing wrong in replacing a cabinet member, and exercised my right, my responsibility to make sure that as governor I had the right people in the right places at the right time to serve Alaskans. Now, the report cleared us of any wrongdoing, and I'm very thankful for that.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

S. PALIN: Do I have a message for the Japanese people? Yes. I look forward to working with your great country also, our trade partners there.

And we do already, here in Alaska, have a great relationship with you, especially with our wild Alaska seafood and the trade partner there. And we'll strengthen that. Hopefully I'll be able to do that as vice president

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Great. Thank you very much.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

S. PALIN: Senator McCain and I, we always have very positive and productive conversations, a lot of encouragement that's passed back and forth. You know, we both understand what each other is going try in all of this. And again, with great confidence and optimism, we look forward to the end of this day.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

S. PALIN: Policy towards Japan? Strengthening our relationship so that we have a good trade relationship and strong alliances between the two.

Thank you.

HARRIS: Wow. What a scene.

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her husband Todd taking a moment to speak to reporters after casting their ballots at Wasilla City Hall, there in Alaska.

Is it my imagination or did we hear one of the stranger comments there? Sarah Palin answering a question about who she voted for, answering that she was exercising her right to privacy and not telling you "who I voted for."

All right. Let's take a break. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And keeping with Election Day tradition, Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, is once again the first in the nation to tally all of its votes. The town's 21 registered voters have selected Barack Obama by a count of 15 to John McCain's 6.

You know, millions of you are following every twist and turn in today's historic election. And CNN.com has some great gadgets to help you do just that.

Our Josh Levs joins me now to talk us through a couple of them -- Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Tony. It's pretty incredible Have you been seeing this stuff?

HARRIS: I have not.

LEVS: It is pretty incredible what you can find here.

I'm going to start with the election calculator. People are liking this. This lets you predict the electoral results, what might happen tonight.

Let's just focus in on it so you can see what's going on.

So, we have all these different colors here of the different states. Now, blue are the ones that we believe are going to Obama, red toward McCain.

If you want to know what all the colors mean, just click on one. For example, if you click on yellow, it will tell you yellow means tossup.

So, this is how you can predict what might happen tonight. Let's look at the yellow states.

You decide, OK, I'm thinking maybe Missouri will go to Obama. Boom. You give that to him. All of a sudden, his number goes up here, creeps towards 270.

Let's say you decide McCain might end up getting Indiana tonight. you give that to him. All of a sudden, he's getting closer.

So you can see where the numbers are at any given time, especially as the results come in.

Now, Tony, I also want to show you this because I'm me. The fact check page, especially for people who are not voted yet.

HARRIS: Yes.

LEVS: You see the fact checks. What we did is pretty cool.

We took each of their closing arguments, the speeches they've been giving in recent days, printed them online. And every time they say anything that we have fact-checked, we turn to blue. So all you have to do is click on pretty much any paragraph, you can see what they're talking about. This is whether it's McCain or Obama, and you immediately get the fact check.

HARRIS: Nice. Nice.

LEVS: And, of course, as you know, busiest interactive we've got going today is iReport.com. Of course.

People have been all over this. Man, are they sending in iReports.

And you know, a handful of a lot of thoughtful voters. I've been bringing you some throughout the day.

But check out this top one right now -- "A coin toss decided my vote," Tony. That's the top one right now, one of the most recent videos. "A coin toss decided my vote."

Let's take a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here we go. Heads Obama, tails McCain. And who will it be?

It's going to be heads, Obama. So I just hope and pray, and I'm going to stick by it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: Obviously a lot of people following a different thought process.

We encourage you to send us your stories, your photos, your videos, iReport.com. We'll bring you more next hour -- Tony.

HARRIS: All right, Josh. Appreciate it. Thank you.

LEVS: You got it. Thanks.

HARRIS: The election getting all the attention certainly here in the United States, but you may be surprised at the high interest around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK. You are looking live now at democracy at work. Across the country, American voters are at the polls today with a history-making choice at hand. Either the first African-American president, or the oldest president and first female vice president.

Right now, Democratic candidate Barack Obama is heading to one last campaign stop in Indiana. Republican John McCain is in Phoenix, with a campaign rally set for this afternoon in Colorado.

This election could be decided by any number of battleground states. Our CNN correspondents dispatched to critical locations all across the nation. We also have Carol Costello covering problems at the polls. And there have been a few, just a few to tell you about today.

Let's look at the landscape in the Nevada battleground. CNN's Ted Rowlands joins me now from the Las Vegas 'burb Henderson. And Ted, this is a state where early voting was huge. It was also easy, in malls, grocery stores, gymnasiums in some cases.

How busy is your polling place?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been very steady. That early voting really paid off, Tony. 46 percent of eligible voters have already cast their votes.

They are expecting an extraordinary 80 percent voter turnout, which would shatter the old record here. But, so far, so good. We've only had one minor problem at an elementary school in Las Vegas, where a polling machine didn't work. It just delayed the opening of the poll by a half hour.

But otherwise, no one is calling Carol Costello from Nevada yet. We'll see what happens throughout the day. But, they have high hopes that they're going to be able to handle the voting turnout. You see, we're at a high school in Henderson. And it has been steady. People have been getting out in and out though in about 10 to 15 minutes. 1.2 million voters total, in this state of Nevada.

And as you mentioned, it is a battleground state. There's one of those scenarios that as we move along through the evening and the returns come in, there is a scenario that it could come down to Nevada. And Nevada voters know it. They have been inundated with ads and visits from both candidates. And they seem very excited. Everybody we've talked to has really had smiles literally on their faces when they finish the process of voting. And I think that a lot of people are excited to know that their vote could really matter in this state.

So far, no problems, just excitement.

HARRIS: It's good to hear the excitement.

All right. Ted Rowlands for us in Henderson, Nevada.

Pennsylvania now. 21 electoral votes. The state hasn't gone Republican since the first President Bush in 1988. CNN's Brian Todd is in Philadelphia.

And Brian, if you would, describe the scene at your polling place. First of all, where are you exactly?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, we're at a polling station in Philadelphia. It's the Overbrook Park polling station, here. This has been a real study in contrast.

As you can see here at the entrance, just a couple of voters coming out. No lines right now. That's a real contrast to earlier this morning when this thing opened at 7:00. And an hour before that, there were lines out the door and down the street, really a lot of people here, very patient, they waited and they got in. It's gone fairly smoothly. But, we expect it to pick up later as well.

I want to talk to a first-time voter now. Her name is Simone Forde. She is here for the first time, 20 years old, voting.

I want to first ask you, how did it go in there? They were worried about long lines and about machines breaking down. How was the process for you?

SIMONE FORDE, VOTER: It was easy. It was really easy. It was either one or two. So, it wasn't really much to look around for.

TODD: One or two, meaning just one or two choices on the ballot, or what?

FORDE: One or two choices on the ballot. There were three choices actually. But the two main candidates.

TODD: Got you. Now, you're voting for the first time. You're 20 years old. Talk about your emotions. This is a historic election, historic voter turnout. Maybe the first time an African-American can be elected president.

How do you feel taking part in this as your first time voting?

FORDE: This election is very crucial because so many things are going on right now, there's so many problems that need to be fixed. And we could have a chance to get the country back the way that it used to be.

TODD: Well, congratulations on your first time voting. And enjoy the election returns tomorrow. Thanks very much.

So, Tony, there you have it. One thing they're watching here in Philadelphia and around the country are problems with voting machines. Now, we're told that in eight of the nearly 1,600 voting stations in the Philadelphia area -- precincts like this one, voting machines have malfunctioned. It did happen in this one, as well. But here, and in those other voting stations, the machines were down only for a short period of time. They got them fixed quickly. And in the meantime, they had paper ballots on hand to get people moved through. And everything has gone smoothly so far. So, Tony, so far, so good here in Philadelphia.

HARRIS: Sounds good. All right. Brian, appreciate it.

Brian Todd, in Philadelphia for us.

HARRIS: Now, if you're superstitious, get to know the Redskins rule. The outcome of Washington's last home game before election day, predicts the presidential winner. Now, if the Redskins lose, the party that lost the popular vote in the most recent election wins. So, last night's score Redskins, 6; the Steelers, 23. Steelers, 23; Redskins 6. That translates into an Obama victory. The rule has stood since 1937, when the team played its first game in Washington.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Thousands of you, all across the country are keeping us informed about your polling place. The voter hotline center, phones are ringing off the hook.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TINY FEY, ACTRESS, PLAYING SARAH PALIN: OK. Listen up everybody, I'm going rogue right now. So, keep your voices down. Available now we've got a bunch of these -- just try and wait until after Tuesday to wear them, OK? Because I am not going anywhere. And I'm certainly not going back to Alaska. If I'm not going to the White House, I'm either running in four years or I'm going to be a white Oprah. So, I'm good either way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

HARRIS: You know, we've been hearing reports all morning about voters having trouble at the ballot box. Let's go to now Carol Costello, who is monitoring the calls to our CNN voter hotline.

Carol, good to see you again. What are you hearing?

COSTELLO: Thank you, Tony.

Well, so far to our voter hotline we've received over 9,000 calls. Most of them coming from New York, New Jersey, especially Virginia, and of course, Florida. Not serious problems that we're hearing. But there have been instances of machines breaking down. But officials have been able to fix them quickly which is a good thing. But, as you know, Tony, the lines are so very long. Any small glitch can make the lines even longer and the wait even longer. So that's the good news. We're hearing in Kansas City, in Missouri, they had the wrong registration books. And you can imagine the problems that would cause. Because there's no way to check to see if the voter is registered at that polling station. Kansas City election officials have sent teams in to investigate.

Just a few seconds ago, actually, I got an e-mail from our voter hotline folks who said that the problem is fixed now. But, of course, the lines are longer and people have been waiting longer.

But I'm happy to say there have been no widespread problems with voting machines. The biggest problem that we've heard so far are those long lines. And we have heard problems of people not bringing the proper identification to the polls. So, even if you're not required to show I.D. at your polling place, in your state, bring it anyway.

HARRIS: That's a good idea.

COSTELLO: What can it hurt? Bring your driver's license and bring a utility bill with your address on it in case your driver's license doesn't match the address at which you are living now. Just in case.

HARRIS: Better safe than sorry. Yes, that's right.

All right, Carol. Appreciate it. Thank you.

COSTELLO: Any time.

HARRIS: And we want to hear from you if you run into any problems at the polls, any problems at all. Just call the CNN voter hotline. We'll see if we can get some help your way. Help us track the problems and we'll report the trouble in real time. The number, 1-877-462-6608. And we are keeping them honest all through the election and beyond.

U.S. attention getting worldwide attention on this election day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So let's take you live now to Times Square, New York City. You think there's interest in this election in that great city? You bet. Richard Roth is there for us this morning

Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're here in Times Square. Here in at an elaborate viewing center set up by CNN for everyone to follow the election campaign here in the crossroads of the world. I'm here with a member of the public. Christopher, you voted earlier.

Who did you vote for and why?

CHRISTOPHER, VOTER: I voted for Obama at 6:00, this morning up in Harlem, my polling location and neighborhood. ROTH: What does this mean for you, should he win?

CHRISTOPHER: I think it's going to change our perception outside the country. I like the fact Obama's more diplomatic than anything we've seen coming out of the Republican side. And I think it's going to be a totally different shift in terms of U.S. perception and also on the domestic front. I mean, we've got someone from the African- American community that I think is an inspiration.

ROTH: What do you think that will do to the African-American community should he win?

CHRISTOPHER: I think it will set our sights higher than looking at leadership of people who have a mediocre background. I think it's going to increase enrollment in the Ivy League schools from the African-American community and I'm excited about --

ROTH: What do you feel inside? Very briefly, what do you feel?

CHRISTOPHER: I think it's emotional, it's very personal.

ROTH: All right. Christopher, thank you.

CHRISTOPHER: Thank you.

ROTH: Back to you in Atlanta.

HARRIS: OK. Appreciate it, Richard. Thank you.

Voter excitement across the nation today. One voter in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, is especially psyched. Listen to this. Juan Bedoya Castano became a U.S. citizen in September. And today, the Colombian immigrant, who is also a CNN iReporter, is voting in his first presidential election. Juan is on the line with us now.

Juan, how are you feeling today, my friend?

JUAN BEDOYA CASTANO, FIRST TIME VOTER: I'm very excited. Very, very excited.

HARRIS: All right. Juan, take me through the morning. Getting up today, realizing you were going to get an opportunity to vote in your first election as a U.S. citizen. Talk me through your morning, sir.

CASTANO: Well I woke up at 6:30 in the morning and then I thought, you know, I'm going to go do my civil duty and try to see if I was the first one, but there also -- there was a line, as you can see. And then I just had to wait for an hour in line and voted. It was very nerve-racking because I didn't know how the system worked. But people told me you know, the system and how it worked and I voted. And it was very easy. And I want everyone to vote.

HARRIS: Well Juan, you know, I want to know your emotions on this day.

Were you excited? Are you still excited?

CASTANO: Oh, I'm still excited.

HARRIS: Tell me about your emotions on this day.

CASTANO: I'm very excited because this is a very historical event.

HARRIS: So, can I be so nosy as to ask you who you -- I guess this is rude to ask. I mean, folks tell me it's probably rude to ask you, but I have been doing it anyway because folks at home want to know.

Who did you vote for in your first --

CASTANO: Voted straight Democratic.

HARRIS: You did?

CASTANO: Yes. I voted for Obama and Biden.

HARRIS: And of course, you will be watching the results come in tonight on CNN, correct?

CASTANO: Yes, sir.

HARRIS: Juan, thank you so much for joining us. And thanks for sending in those iReports. We appreciate it.

CASTANO: Thank you.

HARRIS: And if you're heading to the polls, watching results at a big election party, join Juan and send us your iReports and you could be part of our CNN coverage of this historic event. Just go to ireport.com.

How does the next president handles the war in Iraq is a major issue this election. We check in with U.S. troops in Iraq. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, an important part of this election are forces who have been deployed to Iraq. CNN's Phil Black is with a group of U.S. troops, watching the election and polls from Baghdad.

And Phil, good to see you. Talk about group with a vested interest in today's election. We have talked so much about the economy in this election cycle. But the nation is also voting for the next commander in chief of the U.S. Armed Forces.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's exactly right, Tony. There's a lot of interest among the men and women behind me on a forward operating base Falcon, in southern Baghdad, where there is, as I say, a great deal of interest in the outcome of the election. But, the excitement overt. They're not showing it off, at least not for the cameras. Apparently because there are very strict rules in the military about not being partisan while being part of active service. You're not allowed to actively back one party, or one presidential candidate.

And also, a lot of the voting Baghdad, and across Iraq, has been taking place over many months now. It's all absentee voting. These guys have been following this campaign, casting their votes over the months and weeks leading up to today. Having said that, a lot of interest.

The soldiers we've been talking to today say, they haven't been able to escape the hype surrounding this campaign. They've been watching the coverage and there have been some very passionate debates here on this base.

But, let's talk to one of the soldiers now. Private First Class Andre Dinnell.

P.F.C. Dinnell, welcome. You voted about month ago, is that right?

Yes, sir.

BLACK: How would you describe the interest among your colleagues, your comrades here in this election over the past few months?

P.F.C. ANDRE DINNELL, U.S. ARMY: I just think it's -- for every soldier, every you know, young person, coming from my perspective. I mean, we're soldiers, we're Americans just like anybody else. We have a right to vote. That's what I did. I took advantage of that. So --

BLACK: How have you and your friends, your colleagues here been following the campaign?

DINNELL: Fairly well. As you can see back here we've got an on post network which we can watch CNN, other channels and keep up to date. And you have the stars and stripes. So, they keep us pretty informed out here. So, whenever we have down time, we can check it out and see what's going on.

BLACK: I'm not going to ask you which you swing for in this case. But I'm curious to know, how would you describe the mood among your fellow soldiers? Have there been discussions, debates about this leading up to today's election?

DINNELL: Well, that's the thing that's behind closed doors. You know, it's -- personally I say that, where I worked at yes, there's been that. And I'm sure it goes on in other shops, other units. So, definitely think that I can say from personal experience that you know, (INAUDIBLE).

You know, even though we're out here deployed, we're still just like anybody else. We still have an opinions. And although we're supposed to keep it to ourselves.

BLACK: And regardless who wins, the next president will be the commander in chief and you'll serve him.

DINNELL: Yes, sir.

BLACK: Thank you, P.F.C. Dinnell. Thank you very much.

Tony, as I say, a lot of interest here. The mess room behind me is getting ready to follow this coverage all through the night. It's going to be open from 3:00 a.m., just when the results are going to start to look interesting around the evening, your time.

HARRIS: All right. Phil Black for us, in Baghdad.

Phil, appreciate it. Thank you.