02-19-2004, 07:20 AM
The presidential election takes place on the same day. Of course, each state (maybe even each county) can choose the hours that their polling places will be open. The main factor is that the US is spread across several time zones. People on the east coast want to have some idea how the election is going before they go to bed, but the polls may still be open at that time on the west coast. California has quite a few electoral votes, but because they're out west, many Californians feel that the election has already been decided before they have a chance to vote. Of course, most of the time it's not as close as it was in 2000.
People who live in Oregon, like me, may feel pretty irrelevant throughout the entire process. (Oregon doesn't even hold a primary until May!) Of course, if the entire election could hinge on Florida's results, I suppose it's possible that Oregon's results could play a similar role at some point. We had a recount here in 2000 as well, but it wasn't going to decide the election, so it didn't get as much attention.
-Griselda
People who live in Oregon, like me, may feel pretty irrelevant throughout the entire process. (Oregon doesn't even hold a primary until May!) Of course, if the entire election could hinge on Florida's results, I suppose it's possible that Oregon's results could play a similar role at some point. We had a recount here in 2000 as well, but it wasn't going to decide the election, so it didn't get as much attention.
-Griselda
Why can't we all just get along
--Pete
--Pete