Election blogging roundup

Here in the United States, it's election day and the main act is one of the closest Presidential contests in American history. More than ever before, blogs are a central part of the story in this year's election, so here's some key links to watch today as the results come in.

First, the New York Times offers the opinions of a number of prominent political bloggers, each giving their own spin regardnig what the most important event in this year's campaigns has been. As CNET News.com noted yesterday, blogs are playing a critical role in the political campaigns of both the major parties.

If you'd like to track the results as they come in, Cynthia Webb at the Washington Post offers tips on creating your own newsroom, with the best summary of overall results coming from CNN's Election Results roundup.

The immediacy of publishing on the web leads some to suggest that bloggers will call the election before the traditional media does, based on their access to exit poll data, and possibly even affecting the election's outcome. Even companies like Edison Research, which helps conduct the exit polls for major media organizations such as the broadcast networks have their own weblogs, letting you see follow the story from the side of the information providers as well.

Of course, if you're a U.S. citizen, before you follow all the coverage and conversation about blogging the election, you should be sure and vote yourself. Hopefully a clear and uncontested winner will emerge tonight, but if there are any issues with the process of voting, the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Deep Links weblog should have good information.