Nation Awaits History-making Election Day

In past decades, most people voted on Election Day and a few obtained "absentee ballots" if they were going to be out of town. 

But in recent elections, states have set up early voting procedures in an attempt to alleviate problems caused by everyone heading to the polls on the same day.

Early voting in more than 30 states

	Important battleground states, like North Carolina, could see a significant number of voters cast their ballots before Nov. 4.

Both candidates have urged their supporters to vote early as a way of ensuring that voters aren't discouraged by long lines or run into problems on Election Day.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama recently urged supporters in Indiana to vote early: "If your car breaks down on Election Day ... if something happens ... you have already cast your ballot -- you'll feel good about yourself."

In closely contested Colorado, Nevada, Florida and New Mexico, about half the voters are expected to cast ballots before Election Day.

"It's a sea change," says Rosemary Rodriguez, head of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. "This is a little bit astounding."

Preparing for lawsuits

	Republican election lawyer Benjamin Ginsberg told the NewsHour he expects there to be legal challenges in some states over the election results.

Thousands of lawyers from both campaigns are amassing in some states and there are already lawsuits underway. The NAACP is suing Democratic Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, saying the state was unprepared to deal with a record-breaking turnout.  Kaine defended his state, saying election officials have done everything they can to prepare.

In Colorado and Georgia, watchdog groups have raised concerns about efforts to remove names from voter registrations, and in Ohio, a community organization called ACORN is being investigated for submitting fake names and registering the same people several times.

Long lines and problems even in early voting

	Long lines have formed at early voting sites, and the governor of Florida declared a state of emergency to extend polling hours.

"Some of those lines have lasted between 4 hours and 6 hours, those are really unconscionable lines," said Ion Sancho, Supervisor of Elections in Leon County, Florida.

The complaints caused Republican Governor Charlie Crist to declare a state of emergency and extended polling hours from eight hours a day to twelve.

Preparing for law suits

Thousands of lawyers from both campaigns are amassing in some states and there are already lawsuits underway. The NAACP is suing Democratic Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, saying the state was unprepared to deal with a record-breaking turnout.  Kaine defended his state, saying election officials have done everything they can to prepare.

In Colorado and Georgia, watchdog groups have raised concerns about efforts to remove names from voter registrations, and in Ohio, a community organization called ACORN is being investigated for submitting fake names and registering the same people several times.

Focus on battleground states

	The Electoral College system forces candidates to compete in just a few contested states, also known as battleground states.

The focus on states is due to the uniquely American institution, the Electoral College.

Created in 1787 to increase the power of states and balance power between small and large states, the Electoral College forces candidates to focus on certain states instead of winning over the most total voters.

In total, there are 538 Electoral College members: states are allotted a vote for each of their two senators, each House representative (which depends on population), plus three votes for the District of Columbia. The electors never gather together – instead meeting in their respective state capitals on the "first Monday after the second Wednesday in December" to symbolically carry out the vote.

The most important number to watch for on Election Night is 270 -- the number of electoral votes needed to gain a majority and become president.

And if there is to be a clear winner, hope that voting goes smoothly in the hottest battleground states: Nevada, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Missouri, Colorado and Florida.