RALEIGH, N.C. – The state House is on the verge of deciding on legislation that could let cities and towns choose whether to use taxpayer money to fund some local elections.

The House tentatively approved the measure last week and has scheduled another vote on Thursday. If the bill passes, it moves on to the state Senate.

Supporters said using local taxpayer money for candidates would balance the power of big money in local campaigns and include people who can’t afford campaign costs.

Opponents said taxpayers could be forced to support candidates they might dislike.

Chapel Hill will allow public financing in local elections this year.

Statewide candidates for appellate judges and three other posts now get public funding.

RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina added its 15 electoral votes to the national total for Democrat Barack Obama in a ceremony that formally brought the presidential election to a close.

Members of the North Carolina electoral college unanimously voted for Obama and his running mate, Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware. The vote took place Monday in the Capitol Building’s Old Hall of the House of Representatives in Raleigh.

Secretary of State Elaine Marshall presided over the nearly 90-minute ceremony. She said the election marked a changing point in the history of North Carolina, a state that last chose a Democrat for president in 1976.

Obama won last month’s popular vote in North Carolina over GOP Sen. John McCain, and with it the right to have Democratic electors cast the official ballots for the state.

The North Carolina result is not official until the State Board of Elections certifies in in a few weeks. But for now, Obama is ahead by 13,692 votes.

WASHINGTON- Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain battled for the White House on Tuesday in an election that challenged attitudes about race as surely as it gauged sentiments about the battered economy and the war in Iraq.

As if unwilling to cede the stage, both men campaigned into Election Day, long past time when long lines formed at polling places. Obama, bidding to become the first black president, greeted voters in Indiana, McCain supporters in Colorado and New Mexico.

The economy was by far the top Election Day issue, according to an Associated Press survey of voters leaving their polling places.

Six in 10 said so, and none of the other top issues – energy, Iraq, terrorism and health care – was picked by more than one in 10.

The same survey found that first-time voters were disproportionately young. About 20 percent were black, and roughly as many Hispanic in a year in which a black man was on the ballot for the first time.

The results were based on a preliminary partial sample of nearly 10,000 voters in Election Day polls and in television interviews over the past week for early voters.

The White House was the main prize of the night on which 35 Senate seats and all 435 House seats were at stake. In both cases, Democrats hoped to pad their existing majorities, and Republicans braced for losses.

A dozen states elected governors, and ballots across the country were dotted with state legislative races and ballot questions on issues ranging from taxes to gay rights.

By tradition, the first handful of ballots were cast just after midnight in tiny Dixville Notch, N.H. Obama got 15 votes and McCain six.

They were the first of tens of millions in the race to gain 270 electoral votes and succeed George W. Bush on Jan. 20 as the 44th president.

An estimated 187 million voters were registered, and in an indication of interest in the battle for the White House, 40 million of so had already voted as Election Day dawned. Turnout was heavy. In Virginia, for example, officials estimated nearly 75 percent of eligible voters would cast ballots.

Obama awaited the results at home in Chicago after a marathon campaign across 21 months and 49 states. At 47, with only four years in the Senate, he sought election as one of the youngest presidents, and one of the least experienced in national political affairs.

That wasn’t what set the Illinois senator apart, though – neither from his rivals nor from the 43 men who have served as president since the nation’s founding more than two centuries ago.

A black man, he confronted a previously unbreakable barrier as he campaigned on twin themes of change and hope in uncertain times. McCain, a prisoner of war during Vietnam, a generation older than his rival at 72, waited in Arizona to learn the outcome of the election. It was his second try for the White House, following his defeat in the battle for the GOP nomination in 2000.

A conservative, he ran seeking to stress his maverick’s streak. And a Republican, he did what he could to separate himself from an unpopular President Bush.

For the most part, the two presidential candidates and their running mates, Republican Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska and Democratic Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, spent weeks campaigning in states that went for Bush four years ago. Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada drew most of their time. Pennsylvania also drew attention as McCain sought to invade traditionally Democratic turf.

McCain and Obama each won contested nominations – the Democrat outdistancing former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton – and promptly set out to claim the mantle of change.

“I am not George W. Bush,” McCain said in one debate. Obama retorted that he might as well be, telling audiences in state after state that the Republican had voted with the president 90 percent of the time across eight years of the Bush administration.

After voting with her husband, the former president, Clinton called Bush “the lamest of lame ducks” and predicted that Obama would begin making presidential appointments and announcing economic policies within weeks.

The war in Iraq dominated the campaign early in the year, but by Election Day it had long since faded as an issue. The economy mattered above all else, with millions facing foreclosures on their homes, joblessness rising and Americans tallying the losses in their retirement accounts after a stock market plunge.

The race was easily the costliest in history, in excess of $1 billion, more after the congressional campaigns were counted. McCain accepted federal matching funds, and was limited to $84 million for the fall campaign.

After first saying he would go along, Obama reversed course, then raised and spent multiples of what his rival was allowed.

McCain sought to make an issue of that, saying Obama had broken his word to the public. At the same time, for weeks on end, he could not match his rival’s television advertising onslaught. Figures through mid-October showed Obama had spent roughly $240 million on television and radio advertisements.

McCain had shelled out about $115 million, and the Republican National Committee another $80 on his behalf.

In the battle for Congress, Democrats began the night with a 51-49 majority in the Senate, including two independents. Their majority in the House was 235-199, with one vacancy.

In both cases, Republicans fought to overcome a financial disadvantage as well as numerous retirements.

The governor’s races included open seats in North Carolina, Delaware and Missouri.

The ballot issues ran from a measure to ban abortion in South Dakota to proposals outlawing affirmative action in Colorado and Nebraska. Three states voted on gay marriage.

WASHINGTON – Election watchers won’t have to wait for polls to close in the West to know how things are going. The first clues will come early, when voting ends in Georgia, Indiana and Virginia.

If Democrat Barack Obama wins any of the three, he could be on his way to a big victory, maybe even a landslide. If Republican John McCain sweeps them, he could be headed for a comeback. And if any of these three are too close to call quickly, that could indicate a long night ahead – and, perhaps, a squeaker of a result.

President Bush comfortably won the trio four years ago. But Obama has used his financial muscle and his draw as the youthful first black Democratic nominee to put them, and other historically reliable Republican states, into play.

Thus, the Democrat has several routes he can take to reach the 270 Electoral College votes needed for victory. McCain’s strategy has no room for error; he must win nearly all the states that went to Bush in 2004, and possibly even one or two that voted for Democrat John Kerry that year.

Here’s a timetable for armchair election watchers, all given in Eastern Standard Time:
 
-7 p.m.: The last polls close in Georgia, Indiana and Virginia, new battlegrounds this year offering a combined 39 votes, as well as in Kentucky and South Carolina, GOP country and 16 votes McCain should easily win, and Vermont, three, a sure thing for Obama.

 -7:30 p.m.: Ohio and North Carolina, both are critical for McCain.

Ohio is a perennial swing state that no Republican has ever lost on his way to the presidency. Bush captured the state twice, and a loss would be difficult, if not impossible, for McCain to weather. He has few options to make up the 20 electoral votes elsewhere, while Obama probably could sustain a defeat here and look for wins in other GOP states where polls show him running stronger.
  
North Carolina, with 15 votes, is another GOP state that Obama targeted for a pickup from the start of the general election and one where he is working to get blacks and young adults to turn out for him in droves. He also made a late play for West Virginia’s five votes. Both are less likely than others to flip; McCain losing either would be disastrous.

 -8 p.m.: Final voting ends in some 15 states and Washington, D.C.

For Obama, the biggest prizes among them are Florida and its 27 votes and 11-vote Missouri, a bellwether for decades. Both went for Bush, and while Obama can afford to lose both, McCain can’t.

Should the Republican stumble in those states or others, he hopes to make up any deficit in Pennsylvania, which offers 21 votes and hasn’t voted for a Republican since 1988. A loss here could be the death knell for McCain’s chances; it’s the only Kerry-won state where he and the Republican National Committee are fiercely competing.
 
Among other Kerry states, McCain hopes New Hampshire and its independent streak will come through for him again; the state, which has four electoral votes, made him in his 2000 presidential primary and saved him eight years later, setting him on course to win the GOP nomination. McCain also has been gunning for a single electoral vote in Maine, one of two states that award them by congressional districts.

In this election-night hour, the Republican will almost certainly rack up 33 quick votes with wins in Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee, while Obama banks 47 from Connecticut,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and the nation’s capital and 24 more from his home state of Illinois and that of running mate Joe Biden, Delaware.

- 8:30 p.m.: Arkansas should be called for McCain shortly after its polls close. It has six votes.

- 9 p.m.: Another big wave of states closing. The ones to watch are hotly contested Bush states Colorado and New Mexico, where Obama hopes Democratic-leaning Hispanics will lift him to victory. McCain could withstand losing the 14 votes these two offer – as long as he wins just about everywhere else he’s competing.

It’s also worth keeping an eye on the typically reliable Republican territory of North Dakota and South Dakota. Obama has competed in the former, and there may be overlap effect in the latter. They each offer there votes. Obama is also pushing for one vote in a Nebraska congressional district.

Arizona, McCain’s home state, may be another key indicator of which way the election will play out. If McCain loses that state, it’s all but certain his presidential dreams are over. Some surveys show the race there having tightened.

The Republican can essentially guarantee victories worth 52 votes in Kansas, Louisiana, Texas and Wyoming, while Obama is virtually certain to collect 72 votes from Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.
 
- 10 p.m.: Voting ends in GOP-held, Iowa, Montana and Nevada, a combined 15 votes. Losing these would be a setback for McCain, while winning them would be a boon for Obama. Utah’s five votes are a certainty for McCain.

- 11 p.m.: Four states – mega-prize California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington – are expected to quickly give Obama a combined 77 votes, while Idaho is expected to award its four votes to McCain.

- 1 a.m.: Capping off the night is Alaska, where GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is governor. The Republican ticket is a shoo-in for those three votes.

And then it’s over. Or not.

As the past two elections showed, there’s no certainty. If it’s a contest at all, the victor may not be declared until Wednesday’s wee hours. Or later.

It’s happening again. We knew it would.

As the presidential race narrows to a handful of states where the two candidates are clawing to get over the top, Florida would be each man’s top prize. And the Tampa Bay area is their key to Florida.

As in 2000 and 2004, the race here has exploded in a welter of television ads, “robocalls,” visiting celebrities and mega-rallies.

The result, according to experts, political insiders and a rash of conflicting polls, is a race in Florida that’s simply too close to call. Either candidate could win.

But for John McCain and Barack Obama, a win would have drastically different meanings.

Obama can win the presidency in Florida, but he can’t lose it here.

McCain can lose the presidency in Florida, but he can’t win it here.

That’s because for McCain, Florida is a must-win. The arithmetic of the Electoral College and the states where the two are competing mean McCain can’t reach a majority without Florida’s 27 electoral votes.

“If Obama wins Florida, we’ll all go to bed early on election night,” said veteran political scientist Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia.

But even if McCain scores a victory in Florida, as his supporters say they are confident he will, he must win other contested battleground states to become president.

Unfortunately for McCain, those are all states that President Bush won in 2004 but that Obama is now leading, tied or close.

Besides the largest battleground, Florida, Sabato listed Ohio, Virginia and Colorado, all with Obama leads, and North Carolina, Indiana, Nevada, Montana and North Dakota, where polls generally show tossups.

That means Obama is on offense, threatening to take back Republican-leaning states. McCain is on defense in a war being fought on what should be his turf.

“Obama doesn’t need Florida – he’s got so many advantages now,” Sabato said. “A chance of carrying both Montana and North Dakota, both strong red states, and a tie in Indiana, where Bush won by 27 points in ‘04.”
Nonetheless, Obama has been drastically outspending McCain in Florida on television advertising, and equaling or exceeding him in personal appearances.

Obama; his wife, Michelle; Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton; and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson barnstormed Florida for the first three days of last week to urge early voting.

McCain answered with two stops in Florida on Thursday, plus tours by daughter Meghan McCain and Sen. Joe Lieberman.

With a significant Electoral College lead in state-by-state polls, Obama has the luxury of campaigning where he wants, but McCain must keep one foot planted in Florida and pivot to other states.

McCain has been promising supporters he would bring his Florida TV spending up to parity. Brian Ballard, his state co-chairman, expected near-equality by last week.

But for the seven days ending Tuesday, Obama spent $4.3 million to McCain’s $1.1 million plus another $400,000 spent on McCain’s behalf by the national Republican Party, said Evan Tracey of the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political spending.

The Nielsen Co., which tracks numbers of political spots, showed a 3-to-1 advantage for Obama through Wednesday.

Obama will appear at a rally with Bill Clinton in Orlando on Wednesday. Sarah Palin was in Tampa and Kissimmee on Sunday, and Joe Biden is to appear in New Port Richey on Monday, following the visit of his wife, Jill, to Tampa on Saturday. McCain’s wife, Cindy, and Rudy Giuliani were in West Palm Beach Sunday.
McCain, many experts say, should not be in danger of losing Florida.

After Obama and other Democratic candidates boycotted the state’s Jan. 29 primary and Obama didn’t set up a campaign organization until summer, many insiders expected a relatively easy McCain win.

McCain also had the support of Gov. Charlie Crist, whose endorsement helped him win the Florida primary. Crist promised to deliver the state for McCain.

The governor may still keep that promise. But since McCain picked Palin as his running mate, disappointing Crist, there have been questions about whether Crist has been campaigning wholeheartedly for McCain. The governor contends he has.

No one denies there has been tension and disagreement between the state party and the McCain campaign about who should run the show.

There’s also disagreement among recent polls.

Some show McCain coming back from a deficit early in the month to lead by a percentage point or two, statistical ties. But a few have shown Obama with leads of 5 to 7 percentage points.

“Some of these pollsters are going to look smart and some stupid on Election Day,” Sabato said.

Even some veteran Florida political operatives are mystified.

“Bizarre numbers,” said longtime GOP strategist Cory Tilley. “You just have to come to one conclusion: It’s close – probably close to the margin of error.”

Ballard said private polls he has seen convince him McCain is slightly ahead.

Democratic pollster Jim Kitchens offered an explanation for the mixed results: Pollsters don’t know how to account for the large numbers of new voters, mostly young people and minorities, that Obama’s campaign has registered.

Pollsters “weight” their samples, counting some responses more, to make up for underrepresented demographic groups. Some pollsters may be weighting young and minority respondents to take account of the new registrants.

But will those traditionally low-turnout minorities and young people show up to vote, proving the polls accurate?

“Ain’t that the question?” Kitchens said. “I think it’s close, but Obama has a bit of an edge.”

Tilley said the election “will come down to who has the best organization, who can motivate their base, turn out their voters and sway those undecideds.

“The good news on the Republican side is we’ve proven we do that pretty well,” he said.

But Tallahassee City Council member Allan Katz, an early Obama supporter, said the Obama campaign has changed the dynamics of Florida politics with its thousands of new registrants and by putting together the kind of turnout organization Florida Republicans have long had but Democrats never did.

“We have a very good chance of carrying Florida,” he said.

Judging by where he’s putting his money and his time, one person who believes him is Barack Obama.

StCUudents at North Carolina Central University and Fayetteville State University are spearheading a non-partisan “get out the vote” campaign drive in neighborhoods near their respective campuses today. 

Students will be knocking on doors in precincts 8 and 17 in Durham and precincts 13 and 17 in Fayetteville, talking with citizens who are not registered to vote and or residents who are infrequent voters.

“We feel like we can make a difference in helping people exercise their constitutional right to vote,” said Khadija Mosely, a senior majoring in political science at NCCU.

Students will be providing residents with a non-partisan vote guide, information on where and how to register to vote, and rides to the early voting polls sites.

• In both Durham precincts combined, nearly 2,000 citizens are not registered to vote.
• In both Fayetteville precincts combined, more than 1,700 citizens are not registered to vote.
• In all four precincts  a majority of registered voters did not vote in the May 6 primary election,

NCCU Students will be gathering at the NCCU campus student union, Fayetteville Road at 9 a.m. for training and then begin their canvass in the neighborhoods by 10 a.m., canvassing until 1 p.m.

FSU students will be gathering at Bronco Square – 1171 Murchison Road at 9 a.m. for training and begin their canvass in neighborhoods by 10 a.m.- canvassing until 1 p.m.

Zogby Interactive polling of 10 Presidential battleground states has shown John McCain capturing a significant lead – for the time being – in the state of Indiana, causing the Hoosier State to move from purple to Republican red.

NPR takes a look at why undecided voters play such a major role in this year’s presidential election.