Someone needs to create an election night time-line showing in order from earliest to latest the times that states' polls close. In addition, it would be helpful to list the times when the AP or CNN or NBC News (pick a uniform standard) "called" the first 15 or 20 earliest states on election nights for the winners in 2004, 2000, 1996 and 1992. That would give us a roadmap for the night of 11/4 to know whether we are on track for a win, a blowout, a late night or (I cannot bring myself to type the other possibility). Also, it is my recollection that the initial popular vote total is more Republican, then when the big eastern states (with their Dem voting cities) report, the total is more Democratic votes, and as the evening wears on the total shifts to more Republican votes (if the Rs are winning the election). Maybe a timeline for the popular vote breakdown between Ds and Rs:
7pm EDT: Total natl vote xxxK; Dem 48.4% - Rep. 51.6%
7:15pm Total yyyK Dem. 48.2% - Rep. 51.8%
whatever