From Election Protection...
As of 2:45pm, Election Protection has received over 48,000 calls to the 1-866-OUR-VOTE Hotline since the phones opened at 5:30am this morning. 

FLORIDA: We have received more than 30 calls from voters all across the state concerned that their precinct's optical scan machine is not working. When this occurs, ballots are supposed to be placed in a "a secure bin" under the voting machine. Because of the volume of ballots, these bins are now filling up. We have received several reports of poll workers collecting ballots in a bag, which is not in accordance with the law. Election Protection is working with local election officials to ensure that all votes that have yet to be counted due to optical scan malfunctions are placed in secure locations.

MICHIGAN: As of 11:45 a.m. EST, voters on Detroit's east side were waiting five hours to vote in 1,000-person long line at Beth Eden Baptist, largely as a result of an understaffed polling operation. An Election Protection partner law firm on the ground in Detroit is investigating the situation. 

OHIO: Voters in several Ohio counties reported to Election Protection problems at their polling location due to poll workers not accepting proper identification and forcing the voters to cast provisional ballots. 

VIRGINIA: Many machine issues from early this morning have been resolved but we continue to see major residual effects in the Chesapeake area where some voters are waiting in five to six hour lines.

Stay tuned for more updates.

To search Election Protection's voter database, visit www.ourvotelive.org.

From NBC's Pete Williams
Starbucks, which announced in an ad on "Saturday Night Live" that it would give a free coffee to anyone who came in on Election Day and said, "I voted," has been forced to change its plan. 

Now anyone who wants the free coffee gets it, voter or not.

It turns out that a giveaway to voters could violate election laws in some states that prohibit gifts for voters.  While these laws are generally intended to discourage attempts to influence voters, the lawyers were worried the Starbucks policy might be a violation.

"To ensure we are in compliance with election law, we extended our offer to all customers who request a tall brewed coffee," says Tara Darrow of Starbucks.

From MSNBC.com's Bob Sullivan
Satire.

That's how Ralph Nader closed his third-party presidential campaign today at a small press conference in Washington D.C.'s National Press Club. He instructed reporters that he would only give one-word answers to all questions posed -- in a sarcastic nod to the sound-bite nature of election coverage.

The stilted question-and-answer session felt at times like a bad game of "Jeopardy." Reporters played along with little protest and reached for questions that led to one-word answers. Many even started asking one-word questions, though that wasn't in the rules.

But there were some telling moments. Here's a sampling:

What is your opinion of Obama? "Clever."

What is your opinion of Palin? "Developing."

How much money did you raise for your campaign? "Insufficient."

Why do you keep running for president? "Justice."

Will you be elected president? "No."

When do you think you will win? "Sometime."

What should Bush do on his last day in office? "Surrender."

Will Obama be able to provide tax cuts to 95 percent of the population? "Impossible."

What is your opinion of the media? "Servile."

While he predicted a "landslide," for Obama, he reserved his harshest words for the Democrat. Nader said in various ways Obama would disappoint supporters and not do much to change the power structure and status quo in Washington. Asked why the Obama years might not mimic the sweeping changes that marked the FDR presidency, Nader said, "Cowardliness." Asked to elaborate, Nader said, "corporations." He also called the money raised by Obama to support his campaign, "disgusting."

Nader, finally, when asked if he would run again, he offered only this reply:

"Maybe."

From Maria Alcon, NBC's Making Your Vote Count unit at Election Plaza

We are all set up at the Making Your Vote Count camera position in Rockefeller Plaza updating our viewers on problems. And we're hearing from voters right here too.

Lisa Shannon, 36, who owns a spa, says it took her 45 minutes to vote this morning but that's only because she didn't know her district. She was shocked that no one asked her for identification. (New York actually does not require it) "I filled out a paper ballot, but who knows if that gets counted," said Ms.Shannon. In this day and age, she says, she wishes she could vote by e-mail, and she finds the entire process horribly antiquated.

Americans are watching this election closely all around the world. We met up with Robin Rebolla who resides in Bristol, Australia but who has already voted absentee in New York City. She says it took her a month to get her ballot mailed to her in Australia, but that the process was pretty simple. Everyone there is watching, she says, and she sees reports on the United States election there all the time. "If you really want to vote, it's not hard to do it overseas," she says.

Many people got up very early to vote. Joel Bank, from Brooklyn, was the first on line at his table. He's been a poll worker before so he knew it was important to get there early because he says the lines in the afternoon can get really long. He says the only problem at his voting location was that a lot of new voters did not know their district, and those who were new citizens needed more interpreters.

Victoria Smith, originally from Ghana, Africa, voted for the first time. She says it took her five minutes, and "it was peaceful."

And those visiting New York, like David Paulsen, from Sacramento, California made sure he mailed in his ballot before his trip. He says he is a permanent voter by mail in his state which makes the process a breeze. He's never had problems but he is upset that he will be flying back home tonight when the results come in so he will not find out the results of the election.

Update -- 6:30 p.m. ET
The states are being unveiled literally next to our set. There is a team organizing the different cut-outs of states that will be placed on the Rockefeller skating rink ice as the states are called for each candidate. It's blue for Sen. Barack Obama, red for Sen. John McCain. Everyone is mesmerized by the process.

Tad Wilson, 39, came down with his eleven-year old son Taylor, to watch it all unfold in the plaza. He took his son with him so he could watch him vote this morning at 9:30 a.m. He says there were about 120 people in front of him in the line but that everything was well-organized and it only took him 35 minute to vote. "It was so low tech, I expected computers," said his son. Mr. Wilson says he was pretty nervous in the voting booth trying to pull the lever forcefully to make his vote count. But the road was not an easy one. Mr. Wilson says it took him months to get registered. He moved within New York City and assumed that his registration would be transferred. (It does not, one must register every time one moves.) So when he voted in the primary back in April via mail, he got a notice in the mail weeks later that his vote didn't count and that he needed to re-register. He sent his registration application several times because he kept waiting for his confirmation and never received it. He even went to both candidates' Web sites looking for help on what to do to make sure his registration application had gone through. Finally, he went to the election office in his district and got his application time stamped and submitted. That did the trick.

So today, when Mr. Wilson went to vote, he was relieved to find a blissful ending to his otherwise long voting process. Tonight, he says he wants "to watch the states light up, and see a new king be crowned."

Mr. Wilson is not the only one looking forward to the NBC News Decision 2008 Plaza experience. Trishia Harvey, 43, a therapist from Philadelphia, took the train this morning after getting on line at 5 a.m. to vote in her district. She waited two hours for the polls to open but she was fourth in line so it didn't take her too long. She took no chances this time. She brought along with her "zipper envelope" with her birth certificate, passport and Social Security card just in case someone asked her for it, even though her state does not require it. "I didn't want any problems at all, none whatsoever."

David Dobbins, a 27-year-old graduate student, was also hoping there would be no problems this time around. He says he was a disenfranchised voter in 2000 and was unable to vote because when he got to the polls his name was not on the list. So this time, he got to the polls in Queens at 6 a.m. and was inside the voting booth by 7:45am. He says everything was very well organized.

Let's hope others were as lucky as he was.

From NBC's Ken Strickland
If Majority Leader Harry Reid gets 60 Democrats in the Senate, it doesn't mean Democratic bills will just sail through the chamber toward passage unencumbered by filibusters.  Why?  Sixty seats doesn't always equal 60 votes.

Many of the seats Democrats would have to pick up to reach the magic number come from dark red states like North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, and Alaska.  Those new senators will more than likely bring some of their state's conservative values to the Senate and may vote with Republicans on some social and economic issues.  That could tamp the 60 vote "magic number" down into the mid-50's, depending on the issue.

Video: Politico's John Harris and MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell discuss the hot Senate races to keep an eye on Tuesday night.

Also, those new Democrats would add to the red state conservative Democrats already in the Senate who sometimes vote with Republicans. That group includes Democrats from Nebraska, Montana, Louisiana, West Virginia, and both Dakotas.  As the Cook Report's Jennifer Duffy explained it, "There are enough Democrats who abandon the party's position on any given issue to make 60 something of a false number."

There are two variables that could improve those odds.  Majority Leader Reid could lay down the hammer and try to force all Democrats to stay in line, which isn't really his style.  (Because a filibuster vote is really only a procedural vote, he'd try to convice them to vote to end the filibuster, while the reluctant member could still vote 'no' on the final passage.)  Or Reid could focus on winning the support of a handful of moderate Republicans who have voted with Democrats on some issues in the past.  Bottom line: 60 Democratic seats does not always equal sixty votes.

However, a big election night for Senate Democrats will yield more control in committees because the committee membership is proportional the size of the Senate majority. Currently Democrats hold a slim 51-49 majority over Republicans. That translates into a one seat advantage on almost every committee. But if the Dems pick up 6-7 more Senate seats, they'll very likely push to increase their advantage by as many as two more seats per committee. (The final numbers are negotiated with Senate Republican leaders.)

In the Foreign Relations Committee, for example, Democrats currently hold a 11-10 advantage.  If there are big Democratic victories, that margin could improve to 13-8.  While it may not seem that significant because Democrats already hold the advantage, it still matters. 

Here's why: With only a one vote advantage in committees and no Republican support, every single Democrat has to fall in line for something to pass before heading to the floor for a full Senate vote.  But adding more Democratic seats on the panel allows more room for error.  One or two Democrats could defect--for whatever reason--and the bill could still pass through committee and head to the floor.

If Obama wins, there will be another definitive change in the Senate Committee structure.  Senator Joe Biden will no longer chair the Foreign Relations Committee. That could cause a musical committee chairs of sorts throughout the Capitol.

Biden could be replaced by Chris Dodd, but the Connecticut senator already chairs the Banking Committee.  If Dodd stayed on Banking (a realistic possibility considering the nation's economic turmoil) John Kerry would next in line to chair the panel that oversees the State Department. That, in turn, assumes that Kerry, a longtime Obama ally, does not take a position in the new president's cabinet.

There's also much speculation about Senator Joe Lieberman's chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee.  Some Democratic members and outside groups want Lieberman yanked from the post due to his support of McCain.  The official line from Reid's office is that no decision will be made until after the election. 

Reid's office also says that the leader wants to talk with his leadership team and other members before reaching any conclusions.  But if the Democratic majority wants to run up the score, then it is important to remember a point Reid raised earlier this year when there were calls for him to throw Lieberman overboard.  Reid noted that, besides issues of national security & Iraq, Lieberman--an independent--votes with Democrats.  It's often discussed around the Capitol that pushing Lieberman too hard could force him to take one more step to the right and join the Republican party. 

For these reasons, one of Majority Leader Reid's top priorities will be figuring out committee chairmanships and assignments.  Reid's spokesman says the leader will probably spend at least two hours a day over the next few days working with members and staff to sort it out.

From Election Protection...
Voters are reporting major obstacles to casting their ballot in polling locations across Virginia and Pennsylvania, which could disenfranchise thousands of voters in each state.

Long lines, broken voting machines, ballot shortages and misused absentee ballots are just some of the problems that threaten voting.

VIRGINIA: Dozens of polling places are experiencing varying degrees of machine malfunctions. Some polling places are either completely closed or have been closed for hours. Thousands of voters may have been turned away illegally by polling workers. Voters have illegally been issued with provisional ballets where machines have been broken.

Students at Virginia Tech, previously the victims of misinformation, have seen their polling place suddenly and unexpectedly moved six miles to a location with little parking.

*** UPDATE *** Per NBC's Wendy Jones, producer on site: The Virginia Election authority says: Virginia Tech students are not being turned away. Because of traffic congestion, they are being directed to satellite parking.

PENNSYLVANIA: Voting machine malfunctions are widespread and at least a dozen locations, mainly focused on Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Election Protection has received reports of campaign materials being illegally distributed at polling locations in Pittsburgh. Voters across the state are reporting that they never received their absentee ballots, which is creating additional chaos at the polls.

Several other states like Florida, Ohio, Colorado and Michigan are reporting long lines due to problems with registration lists and poll locations.

Election Protection legal volunteers are working to resolve these issues quickly to ensure that no one leaves their polling location without effectively casting a ballot. Voting rights experts urge voters to stay patient and cooperative in the meantime and to report all instances of voter intimidation or disenfranchisement to Election Protection's 866-OUR-VOTE hotline immediately.

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli

IN THE AIR FROM RICHMOND TO CHICAGO -- During the 90-minute flight to Chicago, one of Joe Biden's top political advisers paid a visit to the press section. His 10-year-old granddaughter, Finnegan, that is.

"She's the one who pushed the hardest for me to be vice president," Biden said after joining her.

The Delaware senator was joined on the flight by 35 members of his extended family, who will join him for what the campaign hopes to be a victory celebration. Biden has generally been reluctant to speculate about the future, but talked candidly about the possibility that he could be vice president-elect by day's end.

"If we were to win I don't know that it would change a lot," he said when asked how a victory would impact his family life. His youngest son, Hunter, lives in Washington, DC, already, and in fact his daughter-in-law drove with Finnegan one day to measure the distance from their home to the Naval Observatory.

"She said it's a mile and five-tenths. So that was the reason to run for vice president," Biden joked. The family of his eldest son, Beau, lives closer to Biden in Wilmington, and he guessed that if elected, family holidays and celebrations would be "flipped" from Delaware to the nation's capital.

"I really am superstitious, he said. "And we really have not talked about it. I mean everybody's thinking about it, but no one's, no one's talking about it."

He grew increasingly coy as the conversation went on, saying he's never presumed what the American people will do throughout his career. He did say he has gotten confident reports about Democrats' chances for achieving a filibuster-proof 60 seats in the Senate.

Biden is expected to watch returns come in with his family, and eventually join Obama at Grant Park tonight. The only family member not present is his son, Beau, who has been training in Texas for deployment to Iraq. Biden said he had the option of leaving his National Guard unit for the day, but chose not to do so, because he didn't want any special exceptions made for him.

"This kid is a different brand," he said.

Finnegan, and eventually her cousin, Natalie, stood with their grandfather for the entire Q&A with reporters. Finnegan has staple of her grandfather's speeches for two months. And so when she wandered back in our directions, reporters couldn't help but ask her a few questions on her own. She even talked about her future political aspirations, saying she wants to be president one day.

Asked what it would be like for her "pop" to be vice president, she hit it out of the park.

"It'd be really cool. And, um -- and he, he and Barack Obama will make a difference," she said.

From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski
Since the upcoming political transition will be the first in wartime since Vietnam, Pentagon officials say they are prepared to begin briefing the President-elect's transition team, "almost immediately" after today's elections on a wide range of military operations and Pentagon programs. 

"We are undertaking Herculean efforts to ensure the transition goes as smoothly and seamlessly as possible," according to one official.

The officials tell NBC News they intend to expedite the security-clearance process so that transition members would actually be able to sit alongside top Pentagon and military leaders during secure satellite briefings with combatant military commanders from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Given that the U.S. military is engaged in two shooting wars overseas, Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered dozens of senior Pentagon leaders to come up with an aggressive plan for a smooth and rapid transition.

Gates laid out a number of objectives, to ensure uninterrupted combat operations overseas, to facilitate the flow of quality information to the incoming administration, and sustain existing programs.

Gates has also asked for a head count of those among the 50 or so Presidential appointees who would be willing to stay on at least temporarily past the inauguration to assist in the transition.

There are approximately 215 political appointees who would be required to submit their resignations at the turnover of authority to a new administration.

From NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger

WASILLA, Alaska -- Palin returned home to Alaska Tuesday to vote, telling reporters that she hoped she would wake up Wednesday as vice president-elect.

Palin – having flown all night from Nevada – arrived in Anchorage Tuesday and drove for an hour to Wasilla, killing time at local haunts until polls opened at 7 am. She waited in her car for five minutes before emerging at Wasilla City Hall to vote with her husband, Todd. There, she hugged and kissed poll workers and stuck on an "I Voted Today" sticker.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Palin said she was "optimistic" and "confident."

"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," she said. "So anxious to get to work for the American people." 

Palin had pushed to come home to vote, aides said, even though she had secured an absentee ballot. While in Alaska, she is picking up a large assortment of friends and family, who will travel back with her to Phoenix for the McCain campaign's election night party.

Palin's parents, in-laws and three youngest children are all traveling separately, having campaigned with her in the continental United States in recent days.

Palin's quick trip back home included several pit stops, almost a guided tour of the area. She went to her favorite coffee house – the second of the morning – greeting friends at Mocha Moose in Wasilla. On the way back to Anchorage, she stopped at a Chevron gas station owned by her sister, whom she has often referenced on the campaign trail when discussing small business owners.

While it is assumed Palin voted for herself, she did not say whether she voted for Sen. Ted Stevens, who was convicted last week of ethics violations for accepting gifts, and Rep. Don Young, who is under investigation by the FBI.

"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," she said.

Palin's return to Alaska ends a two-month campaign that included 132 events in 105 cities and 25 states, campaign aides pointed out Tuesday. They also said she had conducted more than 100 local and national interviews.

Palin ended her five-state tour Monday in Nevada at around midnight local time, and flew a little less than two hours to Seattle for refueling. It was then on to Alaska, a three-hour flight. The campaign's early arrival led to a scramble in the dark – the first coffee shop the campaign tried to stop at in Anchorage was closed. With time to kill until polls open, Palin made a brief trek to her Wasilla home.

It had been nearly two months since Palin came to her home state, and the early September chill had been replaced by snow capped trees and a 20 degree frost. She acknowledged reporters who had come a long distance to cover her vote.

"Hopefully you are enjoying the beautiful weather, the crispness and cleanliness of this most beautiful state," she said. She also noted the election results will be historic, no matter the outcome.

"It's so well for the progress this country is making, and barriers of course being removed and glass ceilings being shattered, again, as the representation on both tickets will show," she said.

Later, at Mocha Moose, Palin reflected a bit on her future if she does not become vice president.

"You know if there is a role in national politics it won't be so much partisan," she said. "My efforts have always been here in the state of Alaska to get everybody to unite and work together to progress this state. It certainly would be a uniter type of role." 

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
McCain-RNC political director Mike DuHaime gave a peek into what the campaign will be watching tonight.

In Pennsylvania, he will be watching the Democratic margin in Philadelphia, he told NBC's Chuck Todd on MSNBC today. Kerry won the city by about 412,000 votes. DuHaime said he'll be watching to see if Obama gets to a 500,000 margin, as Democrats hope. If he doesn't, he thinks it could be a good sign for McCain camp and may signify a long night of counting the vote in the Keystone State.

Video: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd lists five things to look for to see which way the election is headed.

He's also watching the margins in the Eastern Pennsylvania Philadelphia suburbs, where Democrats hope to do better than Kerry's margins.

Kerry got the third most votes out of any county from Montgomery, northwest of Philadelphia.

DuHaime said the campaign expects to do well in rural counties. It will be interesting to see if McCain can beat Bush's margins in the so-called T and if he shrinks margins in or flip Western PA counties won by Kerry, like Fayette, Beaver and Washington.

McCain's team will also be watching Florida and Virginia on the East Coast and Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada in the West, DuHaime said.

Duhaime stressed that 8% of the vote came out of the Republican stronghold of the Central Time Zone Panhandle. And they'll be watching the swing counties around Tampa as well as the margins in the I-4 corridor.

From Election Protection...
As of 12:30pm, Election Protection has received over 41,000 calls to the 1-866-OUR-VOTE Hotline since the phones opened at 5:30am this morning.

FLORIDA: Voters in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area have experienced numerous problems trying to cast ballots this morning. We have preliminary reports of voters being turned away from the polls for incomplete registrations and instances of the statewide problem of broken optical scan machines in some two dozen polling locations all across the state.

MICHIGAN: Voters are reporting massive voting machine malfunctions across the state resulting in long lines and discouraged voters leaving lines without casting a ballot. In many cases, poll workers are asking voters to cast their ballot on paper and they will tally them later. Some voters are being asked to vote on paper using magic markers.

MISSOURI: There were multiple reports of swapped poll books (voter lists for a given precinct at the wrong location) in Kansas City, MO. This issue has been resolved.

Stay tuned for more updates.

To search Election Protection's voter database, visit www.ourvotelive.org.

From NBC's Robert Dembo
The result of the very unscientific and very informal coffee mug poll from Election Plaza are in.

After one hour in this highly controlled atmosphere, 618 coffee mugs were distributed. People were asked to express a preference between red mugs and blue mugs.

The final tally compiled by Sharpee on the back of a brown cardboard box is 204 red Election Plaza coffee mugs to 414 blue Election Plaza coffee mugs.

We had pollsters indicate that there were at least 20 trade backs. A trade back is defined as a person who takes one color mug and comes back to trade in for a different color coffee mug.

The poll was conducted from 11 a.m. to noon. And we have no reason to believe it is or is not reflected of the political situation in the United States.

From NBC's Jack Chesnutt
According to the Colorado Secretary of State's office, turnout among a few precincts has been light to moderate.

Election officials interpret this to be caused by the high percentage of mail-in ballots. Statewide, 63% of Colorado registered voters requested mail-in ballots.

At polling places checked by NBC News in Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson counties mail-in and early-voting percentages are running as high as 74%.
 
Hence the light turnout at the polls on Election Day. The Secretary of State's office also says in the first three hours of voting today there have been no significant problems with voting machines or voter identification.

Polls close in Colorado at 9 pm ET and mail-in ballots can still be dropped off until that time.

From Election Protection...
Heather Smith, executive director of Rock the Vote said at a press conference they are seeing problems with student voting in Pennsylvania and Virginia. 

In Pennsylvania, there are about 1,000 students in line at Penn State.
In Virginia, Smith claimed there have seen efforts to actually prevent student voting. One polling place was put 6.5 miles away from campus, she said.

*** UPDATE *** There are lines at both on-campus voting locations at Penn State, as well as off-campus locations in State College, Pa. One student, who has been waiting an hour at an off-campus location (students are split up into various designated locations ) estimates she's maybe half way through. 

There is no tension in the long lines that she can see thus far. Students are reading the newspaper, doing homework and throwing the football around.

From NBC's Joey Bell
BURKE, Va. -- The voting line started forming early at White Oaks Elementary School here. That particular poll location didn't open until 6 am ET, but by 4:30 am there were already five people in line waiting to vote. 

All five were cheery, upbeat and happy to chat with each other to pass the time. They seemed to feel connected by the moment and proud to be sacrificing the hour or two they might normally be spending in bed or exercising.

Surely contributing to everyone's good spirits was being able to wait inside the building even though it was a surprisingly mild morning for November.

The first person to arrive that wasn't there to vote early was a security officer stunned by the line. 

"Is everyone here this early to vote?" he asked. An enthusiastic "Yes" came from the slowly growing line.

The officer continued to look around for anyone who was actually assigned to staff the White Oaks polling location. When the first poll worker showed up around 4:45, she was aghast -- as the officer was -- at the then dozen or so people before her.

The rapidly growing line was made up of all kinds of people. People were all ages, races, in pajamas, wearing work clothes, carrying babies and a few carrying coffee in hand. 

Kari Cannistraro was one of those voters fully prepared for the long wait. Multiple layers of clothing, a camping chair, a tall traveling coffee holder and iPod tuned to NPR were part of her survival kit.

Utilizing the chair and iPod were a struggle for Cannistraro as her excitement made it hard to sit still and contain herself. She passed most of the time by chatting with the people around her. 

"It's like Christmas Day," she said at one point. 

Cannistraro also happened to be a volunteer for the Obama campaign.  Being one of the first to vote freed up the rest of her day to pick up elderly voters and drive them to their polling place and help them cast their ballot.

In the minutes before 6 am anyone sitting started standing up and gathering their items. 

"Three minutes!" one woman said.

"One minute left!" another woman said with giddy excitement. 

The gym doors opened about a minute after 6. Workers were a bit flustered and asking the poll manager a couple of last-minute questions. 

People streamed through the doors and seemed to cast their votes quickly. No indecisiveness for the dozens of early morning voters at this polling place.

Cannistraro appeared just as excited after voting as she was before. Needing to confirm the reality that Election Day was actually here and that she was actually voting, Cannistraro felt the need to carefully re-read her ballot. 

This was her moment to contribute to what could potentially be the historic day she and other Americans had been so patiently waiting for -- though, of course, others for McCain, a war hero and former prisoner of war, and Palin, potentially the first female vice president.

Upon making that choice she walked briskly out of the gym with a hop in her step and smile on her face. 

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli

RICHMOND, Va. -- Biden made a brief visit to a polling location here, mingling with a crowd of about 50 outside Montrose Elementary School.
 
"I always feel good at the end of the race," he said when asked about his mood today. "But it ain't over 'til it's over, so we're waiting 'til the votes close, right guys?"
 
Biden was joined by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine at the stop, one last effort to get out the vote in a location where high turnout is critical for Democrats' chances.
 

"The Delaware senator was greeted enthusiastically here, posing for photos and signing autographs.
 
Take a picture! Make me famous," Biden said as he hugged one woman. "We doing history here, you know?" another woman said to him as she took a picture. "I'm loving every minute of it, I love you too."
 
A few voters handed Biden their voter cards to sign.
 
"I don't want to get you in trouble," Biden said as he autographed one. "I want to make sure your vote counts!"
 
When another man asked if he could sign his card, he addressed the Delaware senator as "vice president-elect." Biden didn't flinch at the premature promotion, saying, "Sure I can."
 
As Biden greeted two children, a 6-year-old boy named Alex pointed at a flag pin he was wearing that had the Secret Service emblem.
 
"Would you like my flag? Let me pin it right on you," Biden said, taking it off his suit coat. "That's a Secret Service flag! Wear it with pride."
 
A poll worker came out and asked Biden to come inside to greet some of the other workers. He said he didn't think he was allowed to.
 
"Oh yes you are," she replied.  "We checked the Virginia law."
 
"Apparently they told me that I'm not allowed," Biden insisted, looking back to Kaine for confirmation.
 
The campaign also said Biden met with first-time voter Wayne Philips, 19, who suffers from sickle-cell anemia. He was too ill to go inside, so officials brought a machine outside for him.
 
Biden is now already back at the airport, and heading to Chicago. He'll spend some down time with his family as well as conduct some satellite interviews. Obama and Biden are not expected to watch returns jointly at first, but will eventually meet up for tonight's rally.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann
*** A viewers guide to tonight: Finally -- Election Day. And perhaps the best way to gauge how McCain and Obama are faring is by following the poll closing times for key states. The first closing times come at 7:00 pm ET for Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina, and Virginia. In particular, if Virginia is called early for Obama, that will be a sign of a possible big night for the Democrats. But if there isn't an early call, that could be some welcome news for McCain. While Georgia and South Carolina aren't considered true battleground states, they could also signal how the night is going; in short, these are the landslide indicators: If they're too close too call early in the night, that will tell us that African-American turnout was HUGE.

Video: NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd takes a look at the electoral map and details the key states to watch as the polls close on this Election Day.

In addition, Kentucky's polls close at 7:00 pm ET, and that will give us some early insight into Mitch McConnell's political health and whether Democrats might have what it takes to reach 60 Senate seats. (Note: Polls actually close in the Eastern Time Zone parts of Indiana and Kentucky at 6:00 pm ET, but the races won't be called until 7:00 pm, when polls close the Central Time Zone in those states. However, we will see returns start coming in at 6:00 pm.)  

*** From 7:30 to 1:00 a.m.: The next batch of poll closings comes at 7:30 pm ET, for North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia. At 8:00 pm ET, polls officially close in Florida (although for most of the state, it's actually 7:00 pm ET), Missouri, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. If Pennsylvania is called early for Obama, that would be a severe blow to McCain and would force him to hang on to virtually every state that Bush carried in 2004. But keep an eye on the four states of Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia. If Obama wins just two out of the four, it becomes nearly impossible for McCain to get to 270 -- even if he wins Pennsylvania. And if Virginia is called for Obama, then it's down to the Iron Triangle of survival for McCain: Florida, North Carolina, and Ohio. Add any one of those three to Virginia and it's basically checkmate. So McCain has to win three of those four state. At 9:00 pm ET, polls close in the Western battlegrounds of Colorado and New Mexico. At 10:00 pm ET, polls close for Iowa, Montana, and Nevada. At 11:00 pm ET, polls close in California, and this is important if the night is going especially well for Obama: Because of its 55 electoral votes, probably the earliest that we might see the election called for Obama (i.e., him going crossing the 270 mark) would be at 11:00 pm ET. The last state to close its polls will be Alaska at 1:00 am ET, and that will be a time to check on the status of Ted Stevens' re-election bid. By the way, consider the following: Even in victory, it's possible McCain underperforms Bush in every single state in the Union.

*** Obama wins Dixville Notch and Hart's Location: As usual, residents of tiny Dixville Notch in New Hampshire began the voting at midnight, and Obama came out ahead -- the first Democrat to do so since 1968. The New Hampshire Union Leader: "The town, home to around 75 residents, began voting at the stroke of midnight. The final tally was 15 votes for Sen. Barack Obama and six votes for Sen. John McCain. Dixville Notch has opened its polls shortly after midnight each Election Day since 1960, drawing national media attention for being the first place in the country to make its presidential preferences known. The last Democrat it picked was Hubert Humphrey over Richard Nixon in 1968. President Bush won the town in a landslide in the past two elections: He captured 73 percent of the vote in 2004 (19 residents picked Bush while six preferred Sen. John Kerry), and secured 80 percent of the vote in 2000 (21 votes for Bush, five votes for Al Gore)." Also in New Hampshire, "Hart's Location reported 17 votes for Obama, 10 for McCain, and two for write-in Ron Paul. Independent Ralph Nader was on both towns' ballots, but got no votes."

*** 726 days: To us at least, the presidential contest officially began on November 9, 2006, when Tom Vilsack (D) filed paperwork to launch his presidential bid, becoming the first major candidate to do that. Since then, according to MSNBC's Vidhya Murugesan, 726 days have passed in reaching today's Election Day. And it's been quite a ride -- taking us to Hillary Clinton's online announcement ("I'm in and I'm in to win"; isn't it amazing btw, the neither Clinton nor McCain ever formally announced in front of a live rally?); that frigid February day in Springfield, IL where Obama declared he was running; the countless Dem and GOP primary debates across the country; the Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire primary, and some 50 additional nominating contests (including Puerto Rico?!?!?) we closely followed through June; Hillary eventually bowing out; the Dem and GOP conventions; the surprise Palin VP pick; the financial crisis; the presidential and vice presidential debates; and the final stretch of campaigning. And today, it all comes to an end. (Until Bobby Jindal heads to Iowa at the end of the month, but we digress…)

*** And five months: While the presidential contest has lasted some 20-plus months, it's once again worth emphasizing how short -- by comparison -- the general election has been. In fact, today marks exactly five months since the day the general election officially began, June 4, after Obama clinched the Dem nomination. We spent more time deciding the nominees than deciding the president. Ss that a good thing? Good government types: Discuss!

*** Welcome to the 21st Century: Win or lose tonight, history will note that not only was Obama the first African-American presidential nominee, but that he was the first true 21st Century candidate. His campaign used the internet in part to raise some $700 million over the past two years. It fired off countless text messages to supporters to get them to volunteer and vote. And it utilized social-networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to bring its supporters together. No doubt about it, future campaigns will be modeled after Obama's. 

*** The GOP's bright spot: Even though national and state polls suggest that he faces an uphill challenge tonight, it's important to remember that McCain has remained the Republican best suited to run in this political environment. Let's face it, Republicans down the ballot are poised for big losses tonight. In fact, Democrats could pick up House seats in 27 different states. Win or lose for McCain, one of the best political stories over the next couple of years will be how the GOP tries to fix many of the shortcomings it currently faces. The party could find itself a regional party after tonight -- not unlike what happened to the Democrats during the last turn of the century, but in reverse.

*** When red states turn blue: The two red states that have lifted Obama over 270 in NBC's current electoral map are Colorado and Virginia. What do they have in common? They happen to be the two lone states Bush carried in 2004 that rank in the Top 10 in education (bachelor's degrees or higher) and in fewest senior citizens (i.e., they're the youngest states). Virginia also was the sole state that Bush carried four years ago that ranks in the Top 10 in median household income. Demographically then, these two states were poised to be pick-up opportunities for the Democrats. And if Obama wins them tonight, the GOP's challenge in future presidential elections will be to find a way to win them back -- or reach 270 without them. Republicans don't have any more states they can afford to slip into the tossup/battleground column. The Democratic base in the Electoral College is getting awfully large (CA, NY, IL, NJ, New England, the Agricultural Midwest). If CO, VA, PA and MI are added in, what does that leave the GOP? And then in four or eight years, Texas will begin slipping into competitive territory. Who says Democrats ought to be in favor of scrapping the Electoral College? This may become a Republican movement.

*** Taking the initiative: Unlike recent past elections, there aren't many high-profile ballot initiatives this year that have grabbed the nation's attention. The two biggest are the abortion ban in South Dakota and the gay marriage ban in California. Could California become the second state (Arizona was the first in 2006) to defeat a gay marriage ban?

*** On the trail: McCain begins his day in Phoenix (where he votes at Albright United Methodist Church), holds a rally in Grand Junction, CO, does some retail stops in Albuquerque, NM, and then returns to Phoenix, where he will watch election returns from the Biltmore Hotel. Obama, in Chicago, already voted at Shoesmith Elementary School, and then he heads to Indianapolis for a retail stop before heading back to Chicago for his election night party in Grant Park. Biden votes in Delaware, makes a campaign stop in Richmond, VA, and then travels to Chicago. And Palin begins her day voting in Wasilla, AK, and then heads to Phoenix.

Countdown to Electoral Vote Count: 65 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 77 days

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The AP: "Long lines have formed as polls open in Eastern states as Barack Obama's bid to become the first black president faced the final test of his remarkable two-year journey Tuesday, while Republican John McCain pressed for an Election Day upset."

The New York Daily News: "After the longest, most expensive, most-watched presidential election, the epic battle between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain shifts Tuesday to the nation's true deciders -- the voters. The candidates battled to the finish, the end of a sales job that spanned some 670 days, 45 debates, $2.5 billion spent and untold millions of YouTube video hits, all of them record-setters."

USA Today also runs a helpful what-to-watch-for story regarding the poll closings.

The New York Times' Nagourney: "The 2008 race for the White House that comes to an end on Tuesday fundamentally upended the way presidential campaigns are fought in this country, a legacy that has almost been lost with all the attention being paid to the battle between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. It has rewritten the rules on how to reach voters, raise money, organize supporters, manage the news media, track and mold public opinion, and wage — and withstand — political attacks, including many carried by blogs that did not exist four years ago. It has challenged the consensus view of the American electoral battleground, suggesting that Democrats can at a minimum be competitive in states and regions that had long been Republican strongholds."

"One prominent forecaster said he believes the turnout percentage could be the highest in a century, and election watchers say that could create problems for election officials worried about technology breakdowns and flawed voter lists. Because of catastrophic problems in the 2000 and 2004 presidential contests, an army of citizen watchdogs has sprung up across the country."

The New York Daily News looks at the Election Day superstitions of both candidates: "[T]he two White House hopefuls will cling to long-held superstitions that have helped them through past political contests. McCain, the ex-Navy jet jockey, is famous for having a treasure-trove of luck-luring items, ranging from a trusty compass to a feather, pen, blue sweater, shoes and penny. He's even got a lucky town - Peterborough, N.H., which he visited Sunday. He's also reportedly boasted a lucky hotel room and a lucky rubber band, which he's been known to wear around his wrist. His Election Night ritual: Watching a movie as the returns come in. McCain's wife, Cindy, likes to sport a deep-purple suit during the big countdown to gin up a little luck.

"Not to be outdone, Obama is known to tote a clutch of good fortune-drawing items, including an American eagle pin, a small image of a Madonna and child and a tiny figurine of a Hindu monkey god. He's made a tradition of playing pickup basketball -- sometimes at Chicago's East Bank Club -- before an election. This custom dates back at least to January, when Obama played the day of Iowa's Jan. 3 caucuses and won. He didn't play before the Jan. 8 New Hampshire primary -- and Hillary Clinton beat him. He'll be playing today."

Here's the AP's look back at an election by numbers.

The NY Daily News takes a look back at the breakout stars who weren't the candidates.

COLORADO: The Denver Post: "With nearly 300,000 mail-in ballots still left to be turned in and potentially as many as 1 million people statewide voting today at the polls, clerks still expect a late night tallying results." More: "...because clerks were able to start processing mail-in ballots 10 days before the election without actually tabulating results, most clerks expect to release a large chunk of results shortly after the polls close at 7 p.m. "That will be over 50 percent of the votes cast," said Secretary of State Mike Coffman. "It will give a clear direction for where Colorado is going in this election.""

Also, because of the potential influx of mail-in ballots and the reduction of electronic voting machines in favor of paper ballots, "Do not expect results before midnight," Denver Clerk and Recorder Stephanie O'Malley said Monday. The counting will extend "well into the morning."

FLORIDA: "The final early voting numbers in Florida: 4.2-million have already cast ballots, roughly 38 percent of 11.2-million registered voters. The numbers include 2.6-million early voters and 1.5-million absentee voters. (Based on slightly different figures, Democrats say they have a 358,280 lead on Republicans so far.)" 
 
"It will be the state's first big test of new optical-scan voting machines, which election officials promise will better serve voters than ATM-like touch-screens or butterfly ballots. After all, it was Florida's paper ballots and hanging chads in 2000 that left the country waiting 37 days for its next president-elect."

IOWA: The Des Moines Register reminds us "It all began here."

GEORGIA: The Atlanta-Journal Constitution: "Although 2 million Georgians had cast absentee ballots by mail or hit early voting booths last week, and alleviated some of today's expected onslaught, state officials predict an additional 3.2 million Georgians could cast votes today -- an Election Day record."

MICHIGAN: Newsweek chronicles McCain's stunning demise in this one-time battleground. "McCain's stunning move to burn his bridges behind him left the Michigan GOP in tatters. With barely any money coming in from the Republican National Committee, the Michigan Republicans took to the road last week to try to drum up support for races that now hang in the balance. At stake are at least two congressional seats now held by Republicans and as many as 10 seats in the state House of Representatives. "I can't think of a worse political decision I've ever seen," Michigan GOP chairman Saul Anuzis said of McCain's move to telegraph his pullout. "It totally demoralized our troops. Within days, 50 percent of our volunteers just disappeared.""

OHIO: An Ohio turnout refresher. "Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner expects about 80 percent of the state's 8.3 million registered voters to participate this year, compared with a 72 percent turnout in 2004."

PENNSYLVANIA: The Dallas Morning News does the race-in-PA story on Election Day, noting that McCain has to win the state to offset potential losses in VA and CO. "Pennsylvania is whiter, older and increasingly less prosperous than those states. Its former boomtowns that once provided coal for Pittsburgh's blast furnaces are now depleted burgs where the new jobs come from retail stores or federal contracts. Mr. Obama lost every one of Pennsylvania's western counties in the primary against Hillary Rodham Clinton. In Fayette, a low-income county where Democrats outnumber Republicans 3-to-1, Mrs. Clinton clobbered him 79 percent to 21 percent." 
 
Per the Philly Inquirer: "Election officials in the Philadelphia region (and nationally) were bracing yesterday for long lines and possible chaos at polling places. Gov. Rendell and Mayor Nutter held a news conference to urge employers to give workers time throughout the day to vote, to avoid the typical bunching up of voter traffic early in the day and in the evening hours after work. They noted that there are 300,000 newly registered voters in Philadelphia alone."

VIRGINIA: The Richmond Times-Dispatch has up-to-date info on polling troubles in VA.

Per NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy, McCain flew 3,704 miles yesterday. He made seven campaign stops -- first to Tampa, then on to Blountville, TN, then on to Pittsburgh, then on to Indianapolis, IN, then on to Roswell, NM, then Henderson, NV, and finally to Prescott, AZ.

In Prescott, Aigner-Treworgy adds, McCain held his event on the steps of the Yavapai County Court House, where Barry Goldwater launched several of his campaigns. While introducing him, Cindy McCain got a little choked up saying how proud she was of her husband, and McCain seemed to get pretty emotional too towards the end of his 10-minute, unscripted remarks when he thanked Arizonans for giving him the chance to sere.

McCain also told his favorite story about the curse of Arizona -- recounting that Mo Udall used to ask sympathy for the people of Arizona for being maybe the only state where mothers can't tell their children that one day they can grow up to be president. He said that tomorrow he was going to reverse that trend.

And he said that it had been a long journey to win his party's nomination, but he knows that he can win if only his supporters can get out the vote.

Video: Republican presidential candidate John McCain will make final stops in New Mexico and Colorado after voting in his home state of Arizona. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports.

The Boston Globe's Milligan writes, "True, the math looks pretty daunting for the Arizona senator as voters head to the polls today. On paper, it seems improbable, with Democrat Barack Obama leading in every major national poll, as well as in numerous battleground states expected to determine the winner. But impossible? There have been greater comebacks. The Red Sox recovered from a three-game deficit in 2004 to win four games straight against the Yankees, as Sox star pitcher Curt Schilling, a McCain supporter, noted in Peterborough, N.H., on Sunday as he stumped with the GOP nominee. And while Obama has run a relatively error-free campaign, political specialists say, 'almost perfect' doesn't guarantee the big prize."

The Boston Globe writes, "Obama, sobered by his 86-year-old grandmother's death early yesterday, finished with three rallies in Republican bastions -- Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia -- that reflected his push to expand the Democrat map."

Obama referred to his grandmother's passing at a rally yesterday in Charlotte, NC, NBC/NJ's Athena Jones reports "Some of you heard that my grandmother, who helped raise me, passed away early this morning," he told about 25,000 people gathered on a field at UNC-Charlotte. "She has gone home and she died peacefully in her sleep with my sister at her side and, so there's great joy as well as tears.  I'm not going to talk about it took long, because it's hard a little to talk about."

More: "She was somebody who was a very humble person and a very plainspoken person. She's one of those quiet heroes that we have all across America who – they're not famous, their names aren't in the newspapers, but each and everyday they work hard," he said, adding that there were a lot of quiet heroes like this in the crowd who sacrificed to give their children and grandchildren a better life, something he has said his grandmother did for him. "That's what America's about. That's what we're fighting for and North Carolina, in just one more day, we have the opportunity to honor all those quiet heroes all across America and all across North Carolina," he continued. "We can bring change to America to make sure that their work and their sacrifice is honored. That's what we're fighting for!"

Video: Rachel Maddow pays her respects to Barack Obama's Grandmother Madelyn Payne Dunham, who died yesterday at the age of 86.

The campaign says Obama's late grandmother voted by absentee ballot for her grandson before she passed away.

At Obama's final campaign event last night in Virginia, it was estimated that 90,000 turned out to attend the rally.

Before takeoff after his last event in Virginia last night, Obama appeared in the back of the cabin and thanked the press corps for their work and for the condolences some had offered on the death of his grandmother, Jones adds. He shook hands and gave a birthday kiss on the cheek to photographer Scout Tufankjian, who has been following him consistently since he announced his candidacy in Springfield. He left saying it will be fun to see how this story ends.

In her final rally campaigning for her husband, in Littleton, CO, Michelle Obama yesterday made an emotional plea to voters, urging them to show up at the polls, NBC's Cherelle Kantey notes. She brought up the loss of Barack's grandmother just one day before the election, mentioning the generation of older voters who may live to see the day an African- American becomes president. "But just let me say with all sincerity, I mean this is an emotional time for us, I mean you've heard that, you may have heard but Barack lost his grandmother, and while we had hoped she would hang in there until tomorrow, she didn't," she said. " But, she knew what was going on in this country, and on behalf of Barack and me and our family, we are grateful for your love and your support ...so just send a prayer to Toot. And thank her for raising Barack Obama. I think she did an amazing job."

This morning, waiting for Obama to vote in Chicago, the press pool spotted Bill Ayers voting. Per the pool report, "As your pooler waited for Barack Obama to arrive at the Beluah Shoesmith Elementary School, Bill Ayers showed up with his wife to cast his vote. Newsweek's Richard Wolffe first noticed Ayers. Your pooler confirmed his identity after yelling out "Mr. Ayers, who did you vote for?" He turned around but did not answer. An official from the Chicago elections board told your pooler sternly not to yell at the polling station."

 

"Palin was cleared last night by a state personnel board of any ethics violations in the firing of Alaska's public safety commissioner. The report from Timothy Petumenos, an independent counsel for the Alaska Personnel Board, said there is no probable cause to believe Palin, Alaska's governor, or any other state official violated the Alaska Executive Ethics Act in connection with the firing of Walter Monegan. A separate legislative investigation concluded last month that Palin 'abused her power' in seeking to get her former brother-in-law fired from his job as a state trooper."

Palin's attorney, Thomas Van Flein, released this statement: "Gov. Palin is pleased that the independent investigator for the Personnel Board has concluded that she acted properly in the reassignment of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. The Governor is grateful that this investigation has provided a fair and impartial review of this matter and upholds the Governor's ability to take measures when necessary to ensure that Alaskans have the best possible team working to serve them.

Video: Countdown's Keith Olbermann talks about a released statement from the Alaskan State Personnel Board which said it found "no probable cause" that Sarah Palin violated the state Executive Ethics Act in her handling of "Troopergate."

Per NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger, the McCain campaign released Palin's medical records in the final hours of the campaign Monday, showing the Alaska governor has a clean bill of health. The documents -- released just before 11 pm ET -- consisted of a two-page letter from Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson, who said she had been Palin's family physician in Alaska since 1997. Baldwin-Johnson said Palin is in "very good health," being hospitalized for five births, including the 2008 pre-term delivery of her son, Trig, who was born with Down Syndrome. The report said Trig's condition was discovered during the second trimester, Palin followed the recommended prenatal care and Trig was born without congenital heart disease or other issues associated with the condition. He was, however, treated for jaundice.
 
The governor herself has had no major medical issues, but did have a breast biopsy in 1992 for a benign lesion. The report said her family history was clean, and she was physically fit. "In Summary, Governor Palin is in excellent health and has no known heath problems that would interfere with her ability to carry out the duties and obligations of Vice President of the United States of America," Baldwin-Johnson said. Palin had been reluctant to release the records, but acquiesced after several media organizations inquired. The campaign had said it would release them last week, but waited until just hours before polls opened nationwide. Campaign officials would not explain the cause of the delay, but the doctor's letter was dated Monday.

Berger also has some quick facts on Palin voting today in Alaska:
-- Campaign aides said Palin pushed for the campaign to travel to Alaska to vote, despite the travel costs. They acknowledged it would be a good photo that would be aired all day and reconnect her to her home state.
-- Palin had the option of voting absentee by mail or even by fax. Under Alaska law, she could have requested a fax ballot through 5:00 pm Alaska time the day before the election.
Palin will cast her ballot at the Wasilla City Hall 
-- Palin has not said how she will vote in the state's Senate and House race. Sen. Ted Stevens is on the ballot for re-election, despite being convicted last week of not reporting gifts on Senate expenditure forms. Palin called on Stevens to "do the right thing" and later said he should resign, but has not said whether she will vote for his Democratic challenger Mark Begich or not vote in the Senate race.
-- The House race is also controversial, because Rep. Don Young is under investigation by the FBI for corruption. He has not been charged or indicted, and Palin has not said whether she will vote for him either.
-- Palin will travel from Anchorage, with a likely possible stop in Seattle, to Phoenix, where she will join Sen. McCain. She is expected to land at 6 pm Arizona time.

MINNESOTA: It IS Hillary vs. Rudy! Two of the biggest guns in national politics headed to Minnesota for last minute appeals in the Franken/Coleman race -- Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani. 

Video: Former mayor and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani knows that John McCain's chances were hurt by the economic crisis, but is not willing to give up on his candidate's chances.

MISSISSIPPI: Check out this sample ballot being circulated by incumbent Roger Wicker. Wicker's a Republican, but you wouldn't know from looking at this. 
 
NORTH CAROLINA: The final price tag in IE expenditures in the North Carolina Senate race? $22 million.

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy

INDIANAPOLIS -- McCain addressed a somewhat tame crowd at an airport here this afternoon on the fourth of seven stops across the country today. He said over and over again that he was counting on Indiana to carry him to victory.

"Listen, my friends. The enthusiasm, the momentum that we see here in Indianapolis know makes me know we're gonna win this election tomorrow. We got one day left and we've got the mo. We've got the momentum, my friends. We've got it."

This was McCain's first campaign trip to Indiana since February 24, and his first visit since July 1, when he stopped by to speak to the sheriff's association. At the beginning, McCain was introduced by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who tried to rally the crowd a bit by saying this: "Daniels is my name. I was sent out here for one purpose. We haven't had enough practice at this. Do ya'll remember how to welcome the next president of the United States to Indiana?"

From NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- For about a week, Palin has been saying Democratic control of the White House and Congress would mean a "left wing" agenda in Washington. But today, she suggested the government could be run by people dismissive of the terrorist threat.

"Do they think that terrorists have all of a sudden become the good guys?" Palin asked of the Democratic leadership at a rally on the state capitol steps. "And changed their minds? No, the terrorists still seek to destroy America and her allies and all that it is that we stand for: freedom, tolerance, equality."

Palin has said an Obama Administration, coupled with Democratic control of the House and Senate, would lead to a 25 percent cut in defense spending. Earlier Monday, she questioned whether Democrats believed terrorists have changed their minds, but went a step further in Missouri.

"The terrorists have not changed their minds," she said. "This is not the time to gut the defense budget, and this is not the time to entrust the powers of the federal government to the one party rule of Obama, Pelosi, and Reid."

Using stronger language than she has in the past, Palin also questioned Obama's readiness for office. "If you think about it, Barack Obama's record -- what is in his record? What has he accomplished?" she said, adding she had discussed the issue with her husband, Todd, in recent days. "Has he ever wielded a veto pen? Has he ever had to make the tough decisions on how to govern best for the people whom he should be held accountable to? He is untested, as his own running mate said, throughout the primaries."