Checking in on Election Day with the Secretary of State
Voter turnout has been strong today. Waits peaked in the early morning, and lines are expected to pick up again in the late afternoon as voters stop at the polls on the way home from work. MPR is getting consistent reports of long lines, and isolated reports of some problems at some polling places.
MPR's Tom Crann checks in on progress this election day with the man who oversees it all, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie.4:20 p.m.
Dylan plays election night concert at the U of M Tonight, while many people will be listening for the early election returns, thousands of fans will be listening to Bob Dylan playing at Northrop Auditorium.4:25 p.m.
Kids exercise their civic duty a few years early
Children in Duluth are joining their parents at their local polling place and casting ballots of their own.4:53 p.m.
Poll close in Minn.; pushing to record turnout numbers Polls closed minutes ago across Minnesota after voters packed high school gyms, churchs and community halls across the state to have their say on issues from school levies to the next president.5:20 p.m.
Minneapolis Election Judge excited by turnout
MPR's Tom Crann talks to Janne Flisrand, who served as an election judge at St. Paul Episcopal Church in Minneapolis.5:51 p.m.
National Public Radio Stories
Labor Unions Now Recruiting Immigrant Workers
For more than a century, organized labor was wary of foreign workers. The more immigrants in the labor market, the less bargaining power for unions. But in recent years, some labor unions have changed their minds and want workers — no matter their legal status — to join.
Gut Bacteria May Cause And Fight Disease, Obesity
These genes aren't from your parents, but the genetic code of the bacteria in your gut can determine your health -- and affect conditions like type 1 diabetes and obesity.
McCain, Obama Campaign On Election Day
Barack Obama voted in his Chicago neighborhood and then traveled to Indiana for a final, low-key campaign stop. John McCain began the day by voting in Phoenix, and then headed to Nevada and Colorado for a pair of campaign stops in two hotly contested Western battlegrounds.
In Ohio, Voters Discuss Election
Voters in Ohio talk about what brought them to the polls and who they voted for. Both John McCain and Barack Obama are campaigning hard to win the crucial swing state's 20 electoral votes.
Adieu, For Now, To Campaign Characters
The 2008 presidential campaign introduced the public to a hockey mom, Amtrak Joe, a maverick and "The One." But it also brought to the fore some others such as Joe the Plumber.
Florida Voters Sound Off On Presidential Candidates
Voters in Tallahassee, Fla., talk about whom they picked in the presidential election. Both John McCain and Barack Obama are battling hard for the state's 27 electoral votes.
As Automakers Struggle, Car Dealers Suffer
Sales in the U.S. car industry are down 32 percent overall in October. GM said its sales dropped 45 percent; Ford's figure was 30 percent. Those numbers are expected to affect car dealerships with as many as 700 expected to close by the end of the year.
New President Will Have To Tackle Deflation
To the conventional list of challenges facing the new president — from Guantanamo to global warming — add a new one: the threat of deflation. The last time this country experienced large-scale deflation was in the Great Depression. Now, global prices are falling.