What are your plans for election evening?

[Marigold]

I noticed recently that I wake up every day anxious, and with dread. I realized it is due to the countdown to November 5. I am thinking of ways to actually handle that day, and probably days to weeks beyond with uncertainty.

What are your plans? Will you hunker down with the tv and internet that night monitoring results? Will you take off somewhere to get away from all of the noise? Will you spend the evening with some alcohol or Xanax? J/K. Just curious.

[RainCaster]

1. Books.

I will spend my time reading books and playing the game "Plague Inc" on my tablet. I will listen to Pandora as well.

[Tommy Carcetti]

2. Xanax.

My plans are Xanax.

The sweet, loving warm hug that is Xanax.

(Given that I can't drink much alcohol any more and I've since learned edibles are no bueno for me.)

[Xavier Breath]

3. I will be on DU commenting and reading while I flip between MSNBC and CNN.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

72. Yep - that except for the CNN part. If the Reps are losing, I will turn on Fox for a while.

I love it when they start whining and crying. They deserve it,

[hlthe2b]

4. There is at least a reasonable chance we won't know much election evening or even overnight...

So, it is probably not worth exhausting oneself if able to sleep. We are, after all, in it for the long haul.

That said, the possibility of sleeping probably depends on what is happening-- at least for me late evening.

[bdamomma]

24. I don't think

we will know anything for a couple of days. Remember 2020??? wasn't it a few days until we found out we had President Biden? That was the night when the felon got on TV starting his big lie that he won???

But one good thing we have Joe in the WH now.

California will be last to report good news!!!!

I am hoping that this goes our way, there are more of us than them.

GOTV NOW!!!!!!

[Meadowoak]

58. If Florida or Texas flip, we might know pretty early. Then it's over for Trump and the Republican party.

[Grown2Hate]

73. You could argue the same for North Carolina (and they report EARLY). REALLY hoping for NC!

[electric_blue68]

81. While it's a small EC vote - would Hawaii vote blue? Wouldn't they be last...

altho as said TX, PA, NC going blue might be the thing?

[Torchlight]

5. Our day will be wake up and vote, go to a local diner,

then a movie, and then home where we'll do a news blackout and binge on All Creatures Great and Small until bed.

Waking up the next morning is a bridge we'll get to when we get to it, but what with all the drama and theatrics we've already seen this campaign season, we both think we've earned one evening of complete and abject ignorance of the world around us.

[Marigold]

17. That is a great idea.

[zanana1]

6. I'm going to buy some excellent coffee for the event.

If Kamala wins, it'll make me dance. If Trump wins. I'll make it Irish.

[Island Blue]

7. I cannot abide Steve Kornacki,

so I will probably just take my anxiety meds & monitor DU (hoping that it’s not taken down by Russians again because that would trigger flashbacks that I don’t think I could handle).

[Marigold]

15. I can't stand him either.

I thought I was the only one. Especially since they made a celebrity of him.

[Island Blue]

25. His frenetic energy

increases my anxiety level to eleventy-billion. I thought I was alone in my dislike of Steve as well. 🥴

[CrispyQ]

57. Oh no. Our house can't stand him either.

I don't know how he got so popular.

[Silent Type]

46. I like him. His reporting of Blue votes yet to be counted in 2020 kept me sane until Biden was declared winner.

[House of Roberts]

8. Beer

Normally I don't drink, except for special occasions, but I plan to do what I did for the debate, which is beer and some kind of food.

[Buckeyeblue]

9. Sadly I'll be in front of the TV

I would like to find something else to do. But I would be wondering what was going on. Plus, there are state wide house seats and a senate election to watch.

Who knows what, if anything, we'll know by the end of the night.

[comradebillyboy]

10. Watching cooking shows and playing Fallout 4.

Not watching Steve Kornacki's frantic coverage of the numbers. I would like to get drunk but I quit drinking a while back.

[CoopersDad]

11. I'll be at Britannia Arms in Capitola for a local race watch party

My dear friend is running for County Supervisor, Santa Cruz County, District 2.

Her opponent is a climate-denying Democrat, believe it or not. She takes that position because she's funded by wealthy coastal property owners.

We need to win with Harris and locally, as well.

[Mz Pip]

12. Out of the country

for two weeks. Hopefully will be distracted enough to not be too obsessed.

[bdamomma]

26. Out of country

well, you will be on the outside looking in so to speak. Have a good time and I'm sure you will hear and see something.

[waldnorm]

13. In 2022 . . .

My mother and aunt have both just passed, I was limited in focus on the election and all I heard was grim news about a "red wave." I deliberately took sleep-style gummies and somehow managed to go to sleep. I woke up around 3 or 4 a.m. California time and was surprised what I saw on the newsfeed. I missed any "red mirage" concerns (which in California we've been used to this for decades, granted) and compared to how much lack of sleep I ended up having in both 2016 and 2020 I've already decided, it's bed for me as early as 6 p.m. Pacific. Have the phone turned off, have the computer off. LOL.

[BlueKota]

14. My therapist recommended I shouldn't be alone

So my sister is going to stay the night in my guest room, and we will probably watch Food Network shows till bedtime. Then at bedtime I will play the Nothing Much Happens, Bedtime Stories to Help You Sleep podcast. The Podcaster has a really comforting voice, and the stories are about the everyday life of citizens in the fictional village of Nothing Much. They normally run about 38 minutes, but she's put out some longer ones, for when people need extra comforting to sleep.

The bad thing is, it probably won't be decided for a few days after at least.

I am voting on October 29 at the Board of Elections.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

16. I'll go to sleep early. Hopefully, it will be decided by the time I wake up.

Hopefully, my wake-up will not be a gut punch like 2016.

[-misanthroptimist]

18. I'll probably just keep loose track online

I cannot tolerate listening to the gibbering on TV.

[lastlib]

19. Watch party--where I can be with like-minded people.

For support or celebration as needed. Fine wine in one hand, Xanax in the other......

[Fiendish Thingy]

20. Kornacki and DU and a normal bedtime.

Most importantly, Until then, as little TV news as possible.

[sinkingfeeling]

21. I will be at my polling place until they close and we

secure the ballot boxes and clean up.

[bdamomma]

29. Thank you for your

civil service and be careful.

[Alice Kramden]

79. My hubby as well

Is an Election judge

[electric_blue68]

80. Ty to him & Good Luck

[electric_blue68]

82. Ty. Hope it's a day/eve of no "incidents".

[WestMichRad]

22. Xanax and weed!

No TV, radio or internet.

Maybe a whole week of this….

[milestogo]

23. Watch MSNBC with the sound off and eat Ice Cream Bars as needed.

I will have enough of my favorite ice cream bars to eat one if/when we lose a swing state.

[SheltieLover]

56. You'll enjoy thdm more if you eat one for every swing state we win.

No guarantee your jeans will fit in the morning.

[bif]

27. Watch a good movie, then early to bed.

I'll find out the results in the morning.

[tavernier]

28. I will be dancing a jig at 10 pm when Fox declares

Kamala the winner!

[Ferrets are Cool]

30. Playing Ghost of Tsushima while watching election results

[Xavier Breath]

31. In addition to MSNBC/CNN and DU, I forgot to mention texting friends and family.

My cat won't be providing much feedback so I'll need to talk to other folks to get their impressions about things.

[Qutzupalotl]

32. Swaying to music for 39 minutes and not taking any questions.

Oh wait, that's Trump's plan.

I'll watch Netflix for a couple of hours. Escapism works but only for short periods for me. I will be inclined to check in on the results between episodes and later in the evening. I'm in Oregon, so my evening is pretty late. Hopefully we will know a few states by then. If not, I'll go to bed and hope for the best.

I'm glad you asked. This thread drove home the point that by election evening, there is nothing more we can do … so we had better do all we can now.

[Ping Tung]

33. Exercising my capacity for the use of profanity as the results come in.

[Quiet Em]

34. Same thing we always do.

We're going to vote, go out to dinner, come home and watch a movie, tune in to see where things stand, and then go to bed.

[pamdb]

35. election night

Well, considering we might not know for sure until well into the next day...I was looking at taking a sleep gummy (or maybe 2) and burying my head under the covers.

I asked my husband if we could go up to Toronto for a few days over the 4th to the 6th but neither one of us is really up to a 6 hour car ride.
Maybe just to Sarnia. Or up the Ontario coast.

On a side note, Kamala is FINALLY coming to West Michigan. Grand Rapids and Lansing. Friday the 18th. There is more to Michigan than Detroit and Grand Rapids is the second largest city in Michigan.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

36. .

[SheLiberal]

37. Working

I will be working the election so will not be home until 8:00 cst and hopefully the turnout will be so great I will be exhausted. Will be overjoyed if the good news comes in early that night and I can get to bed.

[Solly Mack]

38. Torn

I don't want to miss the moment a woman (finally and long overdue) becomes President.

I don't want to stay awake should it go the other way and know I missed out on my last night of decent sleep.

Decent sleep. Not great. Just decent. Because I'd still carry the two possible outcomes into my slumber - there would still be hope even as one possible outcome is a nightmare. So, a good shot of at least getting some sleep.

But definitely my last night of decent sleep should it go badly.

Because, Trump.

See?

Torn.

[Runningdawg]

39. Unplug the TV. Vote first thing in the morning. Go to bed early. The following weeks are going to be a nightmare.

[Niagara]

40. Our last Presidential Election, we had to wait for four

long intense days until we were told that Joe Biden won.

Because I still work, I will be going to bed my normal time (between 8:30pm to 9:30pm) so that I can get up the next morning to go to work.


I'll definitely be checking the morning news on Nov. 6th before work for hopefully fantastic news that Kamala Harris/Tim Walz has won this imperative election.

[Talitha]

41. Watch MSNBC till I nod off, and re-awaken... rinse and repeat till whenever.

On election night I can't "go to sleep" so I watch MSNBC (low volume) from my comfychair and sip a bit of wine. Eventually sleep overtakes me but it's really more like a series of cat-naps. Thank goodness I'm retired.

[luvs2sing]

42. Luckily, we voted last week..

Because that day will be batshit crazy for me: grocery run in morning, annual MRI in afternoon, and first college women’s basketball game in evening (we are season ticket holders). By the time I get home, it will be late, and I’ll probably head straight to bed. I don’t intend to check on any results which probably won’t mean anything yet but, in case of a wonderful early landslide, I’m sure we will hear about it at the game..and I’ll probably celebrate with friends and get home even later. But, realistically, I’ll probably just turn my phone off and go to bed not knowing and hoping for the best.

I’m more concerned we will get results Thursday evening, in the middle of my sold-out choir concert. That could go dicey either way.

[vercetti2021]

43. Likely I'm going to be working

But the majority of us will probably be watching at work most of us if not all of us are voting for Kamala and Colin Allred. I'm pretty sure most of us are going to be drinking under the table for sure

[broiles]

44. Lots of popcorn!

[Pink Hyacinth]

45. Since we already voted in my family

We're just going to watch movies or other shows. Maybe my husband will have some wine. Maybe I'll have a gummy. Not going to watch any news. I expect this will be drawn out. Plus we are on the we East coast, so we can't stay up that late to see all the results. Never have done that. Not expecting it to be figured out by the next day.

[DET]

47. Worrying

I’ll be watching MSNBC for any positive signs (fortunately I don’t hate Kornacki), while waiting for the inevitable Republican ‘shenanigans’ to appear. It was kind of the fascists to let us know in advance the many ways they plan to f*** up the election. I don’t expect that we’ll have a definitive result on Election Day and probably for some time after that. Lawsuits and counter suits will be flying all over the place. I’m confident that Harris will win the popular vote and the electoral college, but whether she’ll be allowed to assume the Presidency is a whole other matter.

[EndlessWire]

48. Hopefully avoiding a repeat of 2016

I'm going to follow on YouTube, while watching Hallmark Christmas romance movies, police car chases, anything science fiction, and anything else of interest. I'll have two tabs open. I'm also going to have sweets on hand, like chocolate cake, hot chocolate, fruit juice, chips, anything like that, which I'll eat to keep my spirits up. Lots of bottled water available. If I can get my dog to cooperate, he and I will cuddle around 5 pm when PA comes in.

I don't understand how anyone could vote for this monster, and I am scared. Go Dems! I am scared of both Trump and Vance. Keep praying these bastards get defeated.

Media will start immediately covering any violence that ensues. I don't think there will be much from the average voter, but who knows what will happen. All I want to do is catch any speech by VP Harris. After that, maybe late night comedians.

Trump, should he lose, will get sentenced by Merchan on the 7th, so there is always the possibility of airport coverage. We will see. Trump tracking will be intense.

I have my mind set on chocolate cake. I am craving chocolate. It's my nerves!

[DavidDvorkin]

49. Holding my breath.

[MissB]

50. Having a good dinner with dh

At home, of course.

Then commandeering the den/TV to watch the returns. Since we are on the West Coast, much of the country’s returns will be in place before we finish dinner.

[Happy Hoosier]

51. Gonna ignore it as much as possible.

My Blood Pressure can't take it.

By that day, it's completely out of my hands.

[subterranean]

63. That's my plan as well, for the same reason.

It's possible the early results will favor the felon like in 2020, which will only induce stress and anxiety. So I plan to tune out the TV and Internet that night, and go to bed with the hope of waking up to a Harris/Walz victory the next morning. If I hear any fireworks outside, I will take it as a positive sign, since I live in a very blue area.

[bagimin]

52. Heroin

[enid602]

53. ESAD

ESAD party!!!!!

[liberalmediaaddict]

54. Thank god for this forum

The DU has gotten me through one stressful election night after another.

[kimbutgar]

55. Watch some movies and tv shows

No msnbc for me

[SheltieLover]

59. I'll be watching DU while playing the new Zelda game.

Likely snooze out pretty early. It's not going to be decided that night, I'm afraid the way it always was before our govt was infested with pootin's puppets.

[Freethinker65]

60. I will be out of Stare taking care of my 93 yo mother with dementia.

[Omnipresent]

61. Trump will be doing a lot of dancing that night..

So as to relieve the stress of losing the Presidency…again!

[Scrivener7]

62. I'm torn. I thought of joining with neighbors to watch, and bringing Walz's hot dish recipe.

But if we don't win, I really need to be alone. Seriously. With alcohol. And I'm not usually a drinker at all.

I was quite literally sick the night the vile thing won.

[WENSTJDON]

64. Remember remember the 5th of November...

Every year for the last 12 years I have watched the movie V For Vendetta. It is a very appropriate movie to watch this year, as election day is the 5th. After I watch it I will probably just listen to the radio for the results. I also cannot stand to watch Steve Kornacki. If he comes on the tv, I either mute it, or change the channel. So not sure if I will turn on MSNBC. I really want to see how the senate races are going, so I will probably check those out on the internet.

[BluRay76]

65. I will be tuned in

Despite the fact that I know it’s unlikely we will have a call on election night. At this time in the election, I think back fondly on 2008 when we had a few friends over to watch the returns. When they definitively called it for Obama as soon as the west coast polls had closed, there was so much joy and optimism and, yes, hope. I know that the odds of that ever happening again are infinitesimal… but our convention was a small taste of it, and I would love to at least see trends in that direction this election night. 2016 was hard (and literally nauseating for me and my wife), 2020 was a relief, once the red mirage seemed to dissipate, and we are ready to actually feel some joy about the outcomes.

This year, Election Day is my birthday. I don’t like to have a fuss made, but usually we will go out for a nice dinner. But I think that this year, we will be home watching MSNBC and scrolling DU and a couple of other sites. I wish they hadn’t made Kornacki such a huge deal, I admit it is over the top. But the precinct level information and discussion of trends is interesting to me, and I do like most of their panel. I am hoping to keep in mind the red mirage and retain a bit of patience as the picture of the electorate develops.

[maxsolomon]

66. Contemplating heading to La Push where there's no internet access and no TV.

Hole up there and ask someone Wednesday morning.

[DFW]

67. I don't yet even yet know what continent I'll be on

That makes specific plans a little difficult.

[WarGamer]

68. I make an entire day out of it.

I'll finish any errands early... by 3PM Pacific time.

I'll retire to my office where I have a desk with monitors (I'm a daily stock and option trader) and a 75" TV on the wall.

I'll have snacks in the house... some wine...

I'll channel surf through the afternoon.

I always make sure to spend time on Fox News because their sad faces make me happy... I tend not to watch MSNBC on Election Night because it's like watching a Yankees game with the home team announcers.

Although I do like Kornacki.

I'll have one monitor set to the fastest updating website.

Usually NYT or WaPo??

And around 4PM Pacific time we start seeing polls close.

I open up 270towin.com and make my own blank map.

I'll click red or blue after I see a state called. I'll follow AP for calls.

I'll have a screen with DU on it, of course...

When we get deep into the night I'll start opening up State websites with live vote counts... watching the results trickle in.

I'll spend some time on the phone with my Mom... trade texts with my Trump supporting acquaintances and Harris supporters...

Even if it's not "official" we should know who won by Midnight, 1230AM here...

It's the politics nerd Super Bowl.

[Maru Kitteh]

69. DU and THC.

[jalan48]

70. Channel surf until Harris is announced the winner, then Fox News for laughs.

[electric_blue68]

71. TY for this. Not sure...Most likely I'll be home...

Listening to MSNBC since I don't mind Kernacki, being on DU, getting/sending texts from my sis, maybe few friends.

I might be able to access my old FB (trouble since I got a changed phone # I am hopefully restoring) which only has family, and f2f friends (No magats!) and a lot of Art/Craft/Science sites.
I also have pre-Interenet liberal (shared interest) friends in Texas, and Seattle on line there.

Some neighbors might watch TV in the building's rec room- if so, I might join them for a while.

My sis maaaay invite me to watch. I'm not asking; she's recovering from surgery. Not counting on that - but sure we'll text here & there.

My other choice would be IF it wasn't for fuckkng Covid, and re: Big Crowds [remember, some people got it from being at the Dem Convention!]... would be to actually hang out at MSNBC's Election Night
Extravaga (if it's not raining)!!

It's what some of you have watched on TV w "the gang" in view in the plastic booth at upper corner of the Skating Rink ; the blue & red ribbons being pulled up to, and one past their respective 270 signs EC votes on the Rock Center Building! The USA Map projected on to the Ice Skating Rink; States changing to blue or red when results announced.

Such a mix of anxiety, and excitement!
It ended up being so thrilling for Obama in '08 & '12.
Devastating in '16! At least I was w fellow Democrats for the Initial Shock, and not alone (I didn't yet know about DU).
Maaaaybe I could stop by for a very short
look around, and just see it for a quick look before it really gets more crowded. Of course I'd be masked.

Glad some people mentioned food! 😄 Probably 2 slices of the nearby yummy white pizza, that's before almost all polls close). Posters saidchocolate! 😄🥰

Probably some heavy-duty dark-chocolate chip cookies I'll have to get from somewhere out of my nabe (I have a few choices). Maybe some white cheddar popcorn as well.

Anxiety meds & extra if needed (alchohol not allowed). The extra one I can also use if I find I'm having trouble sleeping, say, a week+ out, or so from 11/5.

[IzzaNuDay]

74. Music: playing and listening

I have music for listening and play along to. Then go to bed. Take some melatonin. Forest bathe in the morning.

[GaYellowDawg]

75. Stay at home with my wife, vomit with anxiety.

Hope that I go to bed euphoric rather than despairing.

[jmowreader]

76. I have to work

However, I plan to make frequent trips to the newsroom to see what’s going on with the election. On Election Day we are ALWAYS late to press so I can do that.

[FalloutShelter]

77. live blog with DU while I play a couple of my fave

escape movies: Local Hero...Hudsucker Proxy...
Pass out around 2am... hopefully joyous and not a pile of tears.

[CanonRay]

78. I asked Mrs.Canon

She said watching Downtown Abbey reruns lol. Too much stress.