An Election Night Guide

Unless the polls are off like they haven't been since 1948, tonight should bring America's first relatively early election night in 12 years. What we might not know early: the makeup of the new Senate, the fate of California's gay marriage initiative, and whether the Libertarian Party reaches an all-time record vote total.

There are plenty of ways to watch the election as a horse race. Jonathan Martin lists the most important counties in the swing states. John Tabin points out the close races and the signals that would hint at an Obama landslide or a McCain upset. Here's a relatively brief rundown on what will close when, and what tea leaves to read, as well as a list of notable ballot measures. To my mind CNN has the best and most quickly-updated information, but expect lots of news sites to freeze up, and to move on to others.