Yes this is normal - everything is on the ballot that is crucial to a state - also not enough voting machines in some places - the problem is no federal vote - it is a state responsiblity.

well, and I guess they also elect a lot more positions than we do, correct?

Consider: we vote for local government, provincial & federal representatives such as an alderman, school board trustee, mayor, mpp, mp

we do  not vote for DA or judge or coroner or sheriff ...etc

Yes and we elect mps etc on different days - so we have many elections and they could have one day for theirs.  Watched the cbc this morning - informative

It's amazing the huge book you have to read and consider in the US. Many referendums as well on that day (referenda?) In Canada voting takes 3 seconds once you're in the booth. In the USA it can take a whole hour! Obama had a file folder with him in the booth....good idea!

It has been amazing to me to see the dedication of all of these long lines of voters who have to fill out all these ballots. In Canada, I think, we would stay home. I think the Americans are really hungry for  change. With George Bush for the last 8 years, wouldn't you?

I wonder if we'll stay home when Justin Trudeau runs for Prime Minister...and begins a movement for change in this country ...fueled by young people...similar to what we see with Obama in the USA.

Hmmmmm......

Greetings!

I, too, was amazed at the long line-ups I saw on difference news programs today . . . I didn't realize that it would take them so long to actually vote - like Pinga and  LoveJoy said  . . . I just walked in and voted and it took me less than 3 seconds.  I also think LoveJoy might be right re: Justin Trudeau . . .

Hope, peace, joy, love  . . .

I will admit, I am jealous by the voter turn out in the US compared to our's in Canada a few weeks ago.  In some ways, I wish our elections had as much drive as the American's, yet I feel that the candiates have done a better job at stirring the feelings of the people.

One big difference I find is that the American people are more aware of what their candidates stand for (heck, I have a better idea of where McCain and Obama stand on key issues that the Conservatives or Liberals).  Many of my coworkers, family members and friends that I have spoken to feel that the Canadian election was a mud-slingging fest; the candidates spent too much time telling us why the other guy is a poor choice.

And it could get even more confusing....

If Tuesday's Vote is Close, Get Ready for a Slow Count

If the vote count is close on Tuesday night, there's a good chance Americans will become as familiar with a special kind of voting - known as a provisional ballot - as they were with hanging chads in Florida in the aftermath of Florida's disputed 2000 presidential election.

That is because in several battle ground states the number of provisional ballots - which have to be checked one by one after Election Day to validate the voter's registration information before counting - plus the number of uncounted mail-in ballots are likely to exceed the margins of victory.

.....

It is therefore very likely that the press and candidates will not be able to call close elections in several States on Election Night - and may have to wait days or possibly weeks until sufficient mail-in and provisional ballots are evaluated for eligibility and counted or even possibly contested by candidates.

....

In 2008, officials received a flood of new voter registrations and may have not had time to process them all or the State motor vehicle department or post office may have neglected to forward voter registration information in a timely manner, increasing the use of provisional ballots.

In 2006, there were 791,831 provisional ballots cast nationwide, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission survey data. The 2008 election may result in more absentee and provisional ballots than in any election in U.S. history.

-------------------------------------------------

This election, no matter the outcome, is shaping up to have a number of major changes to how the US votes.  We are in a position to watch history being made....

Here's another one, from the NY Times,  worth a read The ’08 Campaign: Sea Change for Politics as We Know It

LB

The question is not whether we make history; the question is what history we make.     No Attribution

It's 7 pm on the West Coast (10 pm Eastern) and the race is basically over. McCain can't pull it out now - he's lost Pennsylvania and Iowa - two key states he needed. There's no road forward for him now to 270.

I was very glad to see McCain concede and with grace. 

With all the rhetoric about fradulent voting and the spectre of the propositional vote count, he could have dragged it out, made court challenges and put the country on the brink of civil unrest.  He didn't and for that he really does deserve to be commended.

LB

I want peace. I want to see if somewhere there isn't something left in life of charm and grace.     Margaret Mitchell

his concession speech was very gratious.  palin was in tears.  i wish she could have 'shhh'd' the boos at some point herself, i never saw her do that at any point in the campaigning, although mccain did that a number of times.

did you hear that senator in alaska who was convicted of fraud actually WON HIS SEAT?!?!  that is one that blows me away... are things really that bad in alaska that the guy convicted of corruption is the best bet?!?!?

What has changed?

Bush invented the idea of war on terra-rism which gave him an excxuse to attack anybody he liked. Obama supports the war on terrarism.

Bush got the US mired down in a war in Afghanistan with the absurd argument he could establish democracy there. Obama wants to increase that commitment.

Bush gave unqualified support to Israel, even as its objectives becamse more aggressive than defensive. Obama has given unqualified support to israel.

Bush gave the US The Patriot Act which overrode the constitution to permit unprecedented levels of domestic spying and intimidation. Obama supports the Patriot Act.

Bush paid off bank execs with the biggest handout in history, and no strings attached. Obama fullty supported the bailout -with no strings attached.

Obama may turn out well. He has enormous political skills. But we have yet to see any substance or any real difference from Bush and McCain. So far, he is simply more of the same old with a happy face.

graeme

graeme, you need to turn of the talk radio for a few days or something.

Ah, Pinga, You need to look past the happy faces, and find out where they really stand. Look at all those major policy issues i listed. On all of them, Bush, McCain and Obama have the same positions. And I guess I might have added the death penalty.

The one thing he might do is improve health insurance. But that will be tough. There will be the heavy opposition of the insurance industry - and it has muscle. And, of course, there is the problem of the treasury being empty - mostly because of the bailout to which Obama agreed. My guess is he will, at most, make modest improvements in a sort of medicare. But he will have cut the private insurance companies in on the deal.

Now, if you see specific and concrete things he is going to do - besides getting crowds to chant 'we can do it.). please list a few.

(incidentally, I never heard any of this on talk radio. i never listen to talk radio because it spends its time going gaga over the happy faces.)

graeme

graeme, the bailout will probably make money for america, by my guess... they bought those mortgages at like 20 cents on the dollar, so if only half of the people manage to actually pay them off they come in ahead.  with no capitol gains taxes, either.

I'm afraid that's a very bad guess. America has lost heavily.

Bankers, who had lost billions and created a crisis with their wild schemes, were rewarded with over 700 billion which was, in effect, borrowed from the American people and will have to be paid back by the american people.

The idea was that the bankers would then stimulate the economy by lending the money. But they have not done that. One major bank used its whole bailout to give multimillion dollars bonuses to its partners. Others have used it to buy other shares while they are cheap.

Meanwhile, nothing was done to protect the people with mortgages, and they are still being put out on the street at record rates. As for the American people as a whole, they are stuck with a debt it will take a century to pay.

Meanwhile, the people who created this mess have been made richer than ever, and have been kept in charge of running it.

So where do you see the American people benefiting?

graeme

well, they bought the mortgages, right??  my understanding, based on what obama and mccain said about it, was that the mortgages they bought can still be paid off by the people who hold them.  and if the mortgages were bought at 20cents on the dollar, then that means that they break even if only a small percentage actually make their mortgage payments.

The problem with the bailout was not so much whether it was fiscally responsible or not, the problem was it is a Republican US govt buying and essentially gaining control of corporate banking.

That is diametrically opposed to Republican philosophy. That, combined with huge govt largesses and spending on all fronts, means that the Republicans are no longer Republicans, but they havn't the social conscience of Deomocrat philosophy.

What it means in the end is that the Republicans have allowed themselves to become so controlled by the neo-cons and their religious fundie agenda, that they have lost who they are, and I thinkit's safe to say the results of this election somewhat show this.

yes, you're right there... and many republicans are saying the same thing, that its time for the republicans to sit down and figure out what exactly they stand for here. 

i can only hope that they don't listen to carl rove anymore.