I was disappointed when the fifth district (which includes Charlottesville) was prematurally called for Goode Tuesday night, hopeful when I saw the margin narrow to less than 100 votes, and then cautiously optimistic when I heard that Periello was up by 31 votes. I'm recklessly optimistic now that I've found out he's leading by 648 votes. (CNN has it at 646.) No, Goode hasn't conceded yet, and there probably will be a recount, but I think this House seat is belatedly going our way as well.

Update: The VA state board of elections has it at 745. Periello has declared victory, and Goode has declared irregularities. Don't expect Goode to concede any time soon, and with the margin being only 0.24% (assuming the 745 number will be official), if Goode asks for a recount (they're never automatic in Virginia), he wouldn't have to pay for it.

I'm sure many of us can relate to this XKCD comic strip:



Click on image to go to XKCD and see larger version. (And if you're not familiar with XKCD, you should always hover over the image to see the "easter egg".)

I just got back from voting at Venable Elementary School here in Charlottesville, VA. I got to the polling place at around 6:!5 and didn't get out until around 7:25. I've voted in this precinct several times (including the last presidential election), and I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes before to vote. The enthusiasm was strong, and the number of young people was inspiring. They're not letting us down this time. One of the election workers said that she was pleasantly surprised that despite the very unusual waiting times, she hadn't encountered a single dour person yet. In Charlottesville, the vast majority are so happy to be voting for Obama, an hour+ wait is nothing to them. Many of the kids were whipping out their digital cameras after leaving the voting place in order to capture this momentous occasion for posterity. There were also a few leaving in their cars, honking their horns and shouting "OBAMA!"

I have a really good feeling about this election. (Not that I was worrying prior to this.)