Nothing witty here

I just wanted to take a second to pimp a couple of Electoral College related web sites that I visit frequently. The first is electoral-vote.com. This site updates the electoral vote map every day with the most recent polling data available in all 50 states (plus DC). The only problem with the site is this: They use only the most recent poll, regardless of the bias of the poll, or the scientific accuracy. This creates a couple of issues. If the poll is considered an outlier (i.e. doesn't match up with other polls from the state) they use the data anyway, which can show a state in the wrong category. Also, they don't correct for polls that are unabashedly biased. For example, a polling service called Strategic Vision is cited quite a bit. This poll does not hide the fact that it is favorable to Bush. It is not uncommon for their results to show the incumbent 5% points above what other polls show. Even so, this site is a valuable resource, if taken with a grain of salt. Also, there is a very interesting "movie" that they made showing the evolution of the electoral map over the course of the election cycle (just below the main map, there is a link called Movie...). The data that is on this site today (Sunday, October 17) is very close to my current thoughts on how the election will play out. I only disagree with a few states:
1) Florida is shown as exactly tied - unfortunately, the hurricane state will go to Bush
2) New Mexico - a close race will go to Gore... uh, I mean Kerry
3) Iowa - Kerry, no question
4) New Hampshire - again, Kerry

For those of you that are counting, that makes the count 269 Bush and 269 Kerry. That would be a bad situation, since a tie would be broken by the House of Representatives. However, an electoral college delegate from (I think) West Virginia has already announced that they will vote for Kerry regardless of the popular vote in that state. That would make the tally 270 for Kerry and 268 for Bush. Giving Kerry the White House.

If you want to play around with the Electoral College map on your own, the LA Times has a great interactive map that allows you to change each state to your own prediction. Check it out HERE. You will need to create an account, but it is a quick process.

And finally, to get the inside scoop on the polls, including the specific wording of the questions asked, whether they included Nader, and what the margin of error was, visit HERE. The National Poll information is free, but the state by state info requires a paid subscription.