Election Prep

Here are a few helpful Web sites and promotions to prepare you for Election Day:

• Don’t know where to vote? Live in a district, like I once did, where the polling place changes from election to election? Enter your home address into Google’s 2008 U.S. Voter Info site and it will tell you where to go.
• Running late? The Swing State Project has a map of poll closing times around the country.
• The Employment Law Post gives the state-by-state laws about whether and how you can take time off work to go vote.
• Want to track results as they come in? Most major news sites have some kind of interactive map. CNN’s has one great advantage for the LGBT community and our allies, however. You can customize the “yourRaces” module on the right so that it tracks whatever mix of candidates and ballot measures you want, even across state lines. I’m thinking that results will percolate across the blogosphere before they hit the major media, but you never know.

  I also like the map at Daily Kos, which looks at presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial races. If you’re an acolyte of the Great Google, check out the election Gadget you can add to your Google Desktop or personalized homepage.

• [UPDATE, 9:30 a.m. 11/4] eQualityGiving has put together a single page for Election Results Based on Priorities for Achieving LGBT Equality. It includes the presidential race, the anti-equality props, and pro-equality candidates endorsed by eQuality Giving.

Finally, Starbucks is giving away a free cup of coffee to anyone who votes—maybe. Washington state election officials told the company that “federal law prohibits payment of money, goods or services in return for voting.” It is unclear now whether the promotion will happen. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts is having a similar promotion, with a free doughnut for anyone with an “I voted” sticker, but there is as yet no news about election officials’ response.

Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, however, is offering free scoops to anyone between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. tomorrow evening. (I’m assuming that’s local time wherever you are.)

I’ve received e-mails from several organizations today, reminding me to vote early. High turnout could mean long lines. Seems like wise advice.

I’ll be live Twittering throughout the evening and perhaps doing a short post or two. Please stop by and offer your own thoughts. (I will in fact be at a friend’s Election Night party, but she’s a journalist, too, and will be watching the television with laptop in hand herself.)

Here’s hoping there’s a bright future in store for our country and our children.