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Every so often, in a democratic country, [[CaptainObvious there are elections]]. (Unless it's ''that'' [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny kind of democracy]].) Therefore there must be election results.
An exit poll will be made and there will be intense discussion about it until the results start to trickle in.
In fiction, this is what happens during an ElectionDayEpisode.
----
Features of '''UK''' Election Nights:
* The Swingometer: an arrow that swings left or right depending on whether voters have swung left or right. Operated by Peter Snow until 2005. (The Swingometer is designed to deal with swings of up to 30%. In 2015, when the SNP managed to take nearly every Scottish seat irrespective of how safe it previously was, there were some swings that were so big the graphics couldn't cope!)
** Other silly computer graphics are also common, including holograms in the 2010 coverage.
*** Especially when Jeremy Vine imitates a cowboy (2008 local elections).
* Live declarations of important seat results (such as ministers in marginal seats, a possible minor party win, or seats that are considered essential for a party to win).
** Protest/parody candidates who want a bit of publicity tend to contest these - such as the Monster Raving Loony Party and Lord Buckethead. It's traditional in particular for the Prime Minister to perform his/her post-count speech with several people [[Series/{{Blackadder}} standing at the back dressed stupidly and looking stupid]].
* The General Elections (not local or European elections) will most likely have Rick Wakeman's "Arthur" as its theme. (omitted in the 2001, 2010 and 2015 elections when more generic music was used).
* David Dimbleby (until his last election night in 2017).[[note]]He was originally intended to retire in 2015, but the next election was unexpectedly called three years early[[/note]] It's theorised that he lives in cryogenic storage and only comes out to do elections and ''Series/QuestionTime''.
* Sir Robin Day (until 1992)
* John Curtice, a political scientist who helps produce the official exit poll (predicting how many seats each party will win), has become something of a cult figure (particularly in 2015, when the exit poll was ''completely'' at odds with every previous poll, and in the 40 minutes before results started coming in he was visibly terrified that it was going to be wrong).
----
Features of '''US''' Election Nights:
* Dan Rather's weird comments on CBS (until 2004)
* Live declarations of Congressional seat results, especially your regional ones as the broadcast networks set aside around 10 minutes per half-hour for the local affiliates' coverage.
* The "Red State/Blue State" map, where states won by Republicans are colored red, and states won by Democrats are colored blue. This color scheme did not become standard [[NewerThanTheyThink until after the 2000 election]]. [[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/When-Republicans-Were-Blue-and-Democrats-Were-Red-176776491.html Color schemes before then had varied]]. Not by much, but some news agencies used to use red for Democrats and blue for Republicans, and to this day "polls still open" "too close to call", "independent/third-party" and so on are not at all standardized (although where they have to be included, the Greens have a pretty solid hold on green).
* Results coming in waves at the top of the hour (and occasionally just after the half-hour marks) between 7 PM and midnight Eastern time, as the country is spread across six time zones[[note]]the States, anyway—Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaskan, and Hawaii-Aleutian, though only the first four cover the forty-eight contiguous states[[/note]] and each state sets its own time for when the polls close.
* Presidential election years only: [[IncrediblyLamePun Wild Math]] [[WildMassGuessing Guessing]] as the results come in and pundits try to figure out how each candidate can get to 270 electoral votes with what they have and the remaining states. If they talk about a candidate having "flip" Texas or California to win[[note]]Texas and California are not only the two largest states (giving them the most electoral votes), they also each very reliably favor one party (Republicans for the former and Democrats for the latter), thus making it extremely unlikely for a candidate of the opposing party to flip the state over in an election close enough that it would actually matter[[/note]], it's basically already over.
** In midterm years: Full election coverage on Creator/{{PBS}} and [[Creator/{{CNN}} cable]] [[Creator/{{MSNBC}} news]] [[Creator/FoxNewsChannel channels]] only while the [[Creator/{{CBS}} commercial]] [[Creator/{{ABC}} broadcast]] [[{{Creator/FOX}} TV]] [[Creator/{{NBC}} networks]] show regularly scheduled entertainment programming with news breaks only when new results are available.
*** For stations which haven't upgraded their graphics for a long time, all shows are aired in in Squash-O-Vision to display election results and let viewers know moment by moment the newest results of that [[SarcasmMode critical East Sioux Falls school board race]].
* Graphics one-upmanship between networks. CNN had a hologram. A freaking ''hologram'', not to mention the Magic Wall map. This was subverted by the late Tim Russert of NBC, who achieved awesomeness by having a ''dry-erase board and a marker.'' Most famously, he wrote "Florida! Florida! Florida!" on it when the 2000 election came down to the controversial Florida vote. Nowadays NBC literally uses Rockefeller Center for its coverage, renaming it "[[http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1197675!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/hitechtv7n-1-copy.jpg Election Plaza]]" for the night, placing the electoral map on the ice rink, and using the famous 30 Rock itself for the electoral count, shining red and blue lights on the side of the building.
** Parodied by ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' during the 2008 election. See [[http://www.hulu.com/watch/40678 here]] (occurs at the 1:25 mark).
* Very, very fancy bumpers and opens. NBC has gone from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFcw3FiIiKA this]] to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hwpWtf4kco lavish animations]]. ([[Series/TheRachelMaddowShow Rachel Maddow]] says she's extremely fond of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-V2zLEzxKk the 2008 one]].)
* For Presidential elections: intense and breathless monitoring of the "swing" states, i.e. states that aren't reliably Republican or Democrat and therefore the results actually ''are'' up in the air. (Massachusetts, for instance, is going to go to the Democratic candidate, period. Ditto, say, Oklahoma for the Republicans.) These are the states that actually decide elections. The usual suspect for all this wild speculation is UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}}, where the returns are tracked obsessively and to the minute.
** UsefulNotes/{{Florida}} being too close to call for ''days'' after Election Day itself. [[OnlyInFlorida Has been a running joke since 2000.]]
----
Features of '''Canadian''' Election Nights:
* Rick Mercer.
* Peter Mansbridge.
* Parliamentary districts are known as "ridings".
* Western blackouts. Western Canadians have to wait until ''their'' polls close before they can find out the results in other provinces. It's the law.
** This means '''all''' streaming of radio and television in Canada comes to a screeching halt. The election authorities got really touchy in the April 2011 election about Eastern poll results being mentioned at all on Website/{{Twitter}} and Website/{{Facebook}} before closing, though they didn't actually charge anyone with committing a crime.
** Thankfully, the blackout rules were lifted a couple of weeks before the 2015 election, allowing people across the nation access to live election results as soon as the polls closed in Atlantic Canada.
* Similar to the US, party colour maps are applied. As of 2011, 5 different colours have been applied (Liberal red, Conservative blue, New Democrat orange, Bloc Quebecois light blue, and Green, um, green).
----
Features of '''Australian''' Election Nights:
* The population being reminded of the more bizarre Parliament seat names, such as "[[http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2010/guide/mayo.htm Mayo]]" and "[[http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2010/guide/batm.htm Batman]]".
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antony_Green Antony Green]].
* A frontbencher from each party playing a game of civility chicken.
* Boneheads trying to get on camera in the background behind the broadcasters, especially on Channel 7.
* A [[Series/TheChasersWarOnEverything comedy group]] getting just as many, if not more viewers than the major channels as they cover the election ''their'' way.
* Both candidates saying the other candidate winning will be the end of the world, and the loser then conceding that it's not in a civil manner.
----
Features of '''New Zealand''' Election Nights:
* Breaking live crosses to the Prime Minister's house every time his wife goes out the garage to get more beer, or a car clearly marked "Pizza Hut" pulls in the front gate.
* Running commentary on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epsom_%28New_Zealand_electorate%29 Epsom]] electorate vote results as they come in.
----
Features of '''German''' Election Nights:
* Polls closing at 18:00 sharp - first projections (based on exit polls) at precisely this moment - all politicians finding [[InsaneTrollLogic some reason]] to be the actual winner of the election
* The main news (at 20:00) dominated by the election coverage, even it is only a snoozer [[Main/PlaceWorseThanDeath in]] [[Main/TakeThat the]] [[UsefulNotes/TheSixteenLandsOfDeutschland Saarland]].
* A group interview with the leaders of the parties that made it above 5% or were expected to (whether or not certain right wing leaders should be included given their result is SeriousBusiness) - often the "I have won" goes on there as well, most disastrously in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR3ZJ1Lun1I This 2005 example]] that may or may not have ended the political career of Gerhard Schröder.
* Vows to "talk with all democratic parties", often with snark directed at either the Left Party or the [=AfD=]
* Jörg Schönenborn analyzing poll results, including ever more bizarre or irrelevant aspects (e.g. how many FDP voters think the SPD candidate is honest and trustworthy)
** A particular favorite are the "voter migrations" (Wählerwanderung) showing where the gains (or losses) of the several parties came from (or went to)
An exit poll will be made and there will be intense discussion about it until the results start to trickle in.
In fiction, this is what happens during an ElectionDayEpisode.
----
Features of '''UK''' Election Nights:
* The Swingometer: an arrow that swings left or right depending on whether voters have swung left or right. Operated by Peter Snow until 2005. (The Swingometer is designed to deal with swings of up to 30%. In 2015, when the SNP managed to take nearly every Scottish seat irrespective of how safe it previously was, there were some swings that were so big the graphics couldn't cope!)
** Other silly computer graphics are also common, including holograms in the 2010 coverage.
*** Especially when Jeremy Vine imitates a cowboy (2008 local elections).
* Live declarations of important seat results (such as ministers in marginal seats, a possible minor party win, or seats that are considered essential for a party to win).
** Protest/parody candidates who want a bit of publicity tend to contest these - such as the Monster Raving Loony Party and Lord Buckethead. It's traditional in particular for the Prime Minister to perform his/her post-count speech with several people [[Series/{{Blackadder}} standing at the back dressed stupidly and looking stupid]].
* The General Elections (not local or European elections) will most likely have Rick Wakeman's "Arthur" as its theme. (omitted in the 2001, 2010 and 2015 elections when more generic music was used).
* David Dimbleby (until his last election night in 2017).[[note]]He was originally intended to retire in 2015, but the next election was unexpectedly called three years early[[/note]] It's theorised that he lives in cryogenic storage and only comes out to do elections and ''Series/QuestionTime''.
* Sir Robin Day (until 1992)
* John Curtice, a political scientist who helps produce the official exit poll (predicting how many seats each party will win), has become something of a cult figure (particularly in 2015, when the exit poll was ''completely'' at odds with every previous poll, and in the 40 minutes before results started coming in he was visibly terrified that it was going to be wrong).
----
Features of '''US''' Election Nights:
* Dan Rather's weird comments on CBS (until 2004)
* Live declarations of Congressional seat results, especially your regional ones as the broadcast networks set aside around 10 minutes per half-hour for the local affiliates' coverage.
* The "Red State/Blue State" map, where states won by Republicans are colored red, and states won by Democrats are colored blue. This color scheme did not become standard [[NewerThanTheyThink until after the 2000 election]]. [[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/When-Republicans-Were-Blue-and-Democrats-Were-Red-176776491.html Color schemes before then had varied]]. Not by much, but some news agencies used to use red for Democrats and blue for Republicans, and to this day "polls still open" "too close to call", "independent/third-party" and so on are not at all standardized (although where they have to be included, the Greens have a pretty solid hold on green).
* Results coming in waves at the top of the hour (and occasionally just after the half-hour marks) between 7 PM and midnight Eastern time, as the country is spread across six time zones[[note]]the States, anyway—Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaskan, and Hawaii-Aleutian, though only the first four cover the forty-eight contiguous states[[/note]] and each state sets its own time for when the polls close.
* Presidential election years only: [[IncrediblyLamePun Wild Math]] [[WildMassGuessing Guessing]] as the results come in and pundits try to figure out how each candidate can get to 270 electoral votes with what they have and the remaining states. If they talk about a candidate having "flip" Texas or California to win[[note]]Texas and California are not only the two largest states (giving them the most electoral votes), they also each very reliably favor one party (Republicans for the former and Democrats for the latter), thus making it extremely unlikely for a candidate of the opposing party to flip the state over in an election close enough that it would actually matter[[/note]], it's basically already over.
** In midterm years: Full election coverage on Creator/{{PBS}} and [[Creator/{{CNN}} cable]] [[Creator/{{MSNBC}} news]] [[Creator/FoxNewsChannel channels]] only while the [[Creator/{{CBS}} commercial]] [[Creator/{{ABC}} broadcast]] [[{{Creator/FOX}} TV]] [[Creator/{{NBC}} networks]] show regularly scheduled entertainment programming with news breaks only when new results are available.
*** For stations which haven't upgraded their graphics for a long time, all shows are aired in in Squash-O-Vision to display election results and let viewers know moment by moment the newest results of that [[SarcasmMode critical East Sioux Falls school board race]].
* Graphics one-upmanship between networks. CNN had a hologram. A freaking ''hologram'', not to mention the Magic Wall map. This was subverted by the late Tim Russert of NBC, who achieved awesomeness by having a ''dry-erase board and a marker.'' Most famously, he wrote "Florida! Florida! Florida!" on it when the 2000 election came down to the controversial Florida vote. Nowadays NBC literally uses Rockefeller Center for its coverage, renaming it "[[http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1197675!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/hitechtv7n-1-copy.jpg Election Plaza]]" for the night, placing the electoral map on the ice rink, and using the famous 30 Rock itself for the electoral count, shining red and blue lights on the side of the building.
** Parodied by ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' during the 2008 election. See [[http://www.hulu.com/watch/40678 here]] (occurs at the 1:25 mark).
* Very, very fancy bumpers and opens. NBC has gone from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFcw3FiIiKA this]] to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hwpWtf4kco lavish animations]]. ([[Series/TheRachelMaddowShow Rachel Maddow]] says she's extremely fond of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-V2zLEzxKk the 2008 one]].)
* For Presidential elections: intense and breathless monitoring of the "swing" states, i.e. states that aren't reliably Republican or Democrat and therefore the results actually ''are'' up in the air. (Massachusetts, for instance, is going to go to the Democratic candidate, period. Ditto, say, Oklahoma for the Republicans.) These are the states that actually decide elections. The usual suspect for all this wild speculation is UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}}, where the returns are tracked obsessively and to the minute.
** UsefulNotes/{{Florida}} being too close to call for ''days'' after Election Day itself. [[OnlyInFlorida Has been a running joke since 2000.]]
----
Features of '''Canadian''' Election Nights:
* Rick Mercer.
* Peter Mansbridge.
* Parliamentary districts are known as "ridings".
* Western blackouts. Western Canadians have to wait until ''their'' polls close before they can find out the results in other provinces. It's the law.
** This means '''all''' streaming of radio and television in Canada comes to a screeching halt. The election authorities got really touchy in the April 2011 election about Eastern poll results being mentioned at all on Website/{{Twitter}} and Website/{{Facebook}} before closing, though they didn't actually charge anyone with committing a crime.
** Thankfully, the blackout rules were lifted a couple of weeks before the 2015 election, allowing people across the nation access to live election results as soon as the polls closed in Atlantic Canada.
* Similar to the US, party colour maps are applied. As of 2011, 5 different colours have been applied (Liberal red, Conservative blue, New Democrat orange, Bloc Quebecois light blue, and Green, um, green).
----
Features of '''Australian''' Election Nights:
* The population being reminded of the more bizarre Parliament seat names, such as "[[http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2010/guide/mayo.htm Mayo]]" and "[[http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2010/guide/batm.htm Batman]]".
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antony_Green Antony Green]].
* A frontbencher from each party playing a game of civility chicken.
* Boneheads trying to get on camera in the background behind the broadcasters, especially on Channel 7.
* A [[Series/TheChasersWarOnEverything comedy group]] getting just as many, if not more viewers than the major channels as they cover the election ''their'' way.
* Both candidates saying the other candidate winning will be the end of the world, and the loser then conceding that it's not in a civil manner.
----
Features of '''New Zealand''' Election Nights:
* Breaking live crosses to the Prime Minister's house every time his wife goes out the garage to get more beer, or a car clearly marked "Pizza Hut" pulls in the front gate.
* Running commentary on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epsom_%28New_Zealand_electorate%29 Epsom]] electorate vote results as they come in.
----
Features of '''German''' Election Nights:
* Polls closing at 18:00 sharp - first projections (based on exit polls) at precisely this moment - all politicians finding [[InsaneTrollLogic some reason]] to be the actual winner of the election
* The main news (at 20:00) dominated by the election coverage, even it is only a snoozer [[Main/PlaceWorseThanDeath in]] [[Main/TakeThat the]] [[UsefulNotes/TheSixteenLandsOfDeutschland Saarland]].
* A group interview with the leaders of the parties that made it above 5% or were expected to (whether or not certain right wing leaders should be included given their result is SeriousBusiness) - often the "I have won" goes on there as well, most disastrously in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR3ZJ1Lun1I This 2005 example]] that may or may not have ended the political career of Gerhard Schröder.
* Vows to "talk with all democratic parties", often with snark directed at either the Left Party or the [=AfD=]
* Jörg Schönenborn analyzing poll results, including ever more bizarre or irrelevant aspects (e.g. how many FDP voters think the SPD candidate is honest and trustworthy)
** A particular favorite are the "voter migrations" (Wählerwanderung) showing where the gains (or losses) of the several parties came from (or went to)
to:
An exit poll will be made and there will be intense discussion about it until the results start to trickle in.
In fiction, this is what happens during an ElectionDayEpisode.
----
Features of '''UK''' Election Nights:
* The Swingometer: an arrow that swings left or right depending on whether voters have swung left or right. Operated by Peter Snow until 2005. (The Swingometer is designed to deal with swings of up to 30%. In 2015, when the SNP managed to take nearly every Scottish seat irrespective of how safe it previously was, there were some swings that were so big the graphics couldn't cope!)
** Other silly computer graphics are also common, including holograms in the 2010 coverage.
*** Especially when Jeremy Vine imitates a cowboy (2008 local elections).
* Live declarations of important seat results (such as ministers in marginal seats, a possible minor party win, or seats that are considered essential for a party to win).
** Protest/parody candidates who want a bit of publicity tend to contest these - such as the Monster Raving Loony Party and Lord Buckethead. It's traditional in particular for the Prime Minister to perform his/her post-count speech with several people [[Series/{{Blackadder}} standing at the back dressed stupidly and looking stupid]].
* The General Elections (not local or European elections) will most likely have Rick Wakeman's "Arthur" as its theme. (omitted in the 2001, 2010 and 2015 elections when more generic music was used).
* David Dimbleby (until his last election night in 2017).[[note]]He was originally intended to retire in 2015, but the next election was unexpectedly called three years early[[/note]] It's theorised that he lives in cryogenic storage and only comes out to do elections and ''Series/QuestionTime''.
* Sir Robin Day (until 1992)
* John Curtice, a political scientist who helps produce the official exit poll (predicting how many seats each party will win), has become something of a cult figure (particularly in 2015, when the exit poll was ''completely'' at odds with every previous poll, and in the 40 minutes before results started coming in he was visibly terrified that it was going to be wrong).
----
Features of '''US''' Election Nights:
* Dan Rather's weird comments on CBS (until 2004)
* Live declarations of Congressional seat results, especially your regional ones as the broadcast networks set aside around 10 minutes per half-hour for the local affiliates' coverage.
* The "Red State/Blue State" map, where states won by Republicans are colored red, and states won by Democrats are colored blue. This color scheme did not become standard [[NewerThanTheyThink until after the 2000 election]]. [[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/When-Republicans-Were-Blue-and-Democrats-Were-Red-176776491.html Color schemes before then had varied]]. Not by much, but some news agencies used to use red for Democrats and blue for Republicans, and to this day "polls still open" "too close to call", "independent/third-party" and so on are not at all standardized (although where they have to be included, the Greens have a pretty solid hold on green).
* Results coming in waves at the top of the hour (and occasionally just after the half-hour marks) between 7 PM and midnight Eastern time, as the country is spread across six time zones[[note]]the States, anyway—Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaskan, and Hawaii-Aleutian, though only the first four cover the forty-eight contiguous states[[/note]] and each state sets its own time for when the polls close.
* Presidential election years only: [[IncrediblyLamePun Wild Math]] [[WildMassGuessing Guessing]] as the results come in and pundits try to figure out how each candidate can get to 270 electoral votes with what they have and the remaining states. If they talk about a candidate having "flip" Texas or California to win[[note]]Texas and California are not only the two largest states (giving them the most electoral votes), they also each very reliably favor one party (Republicans for the former and Democrats for the latter), thus making it extremely unlikely for a candidate of the opposing party to flip the state over in an election close enough that it would actually matter[[/note]], it's basically already over.
** In midterm years: Full election coverage on Creator/{{PBS}} and [[Creator/{{CNN}} cable]] [[Creator/{{MSNBC}} news]] [[Creator/FoxNewsChannel channels]] only while the [[Creator/{{CBS}} commercial]] [[Creator/{{ABC}} broadcast]] [[{{Creator/FOX}} TV]] [[Creator/{{NBC}} networks]] show regularly scheduled entertainment programming with news breaks only when new results are available.
*** For stations which haven't upgraded their graphics for a long time, all shows are aired in in Squash-O-Vision to display election results and let viewers know moment by moment the newest results of that [[SarcasmMode critical East Sioux Falls school board race]].
* Graphics one-upmanship between networks. CNN had a hologram. A freaking ''hologram'', not to mention the Magic Wall map. This was subverted by the late Tim Russert of NBC, who achieved awesomeness by having a ''dry-erase board and a marker.'' Most famously, he wrote "Florida! Florida! Florida!" on it when the 2000 election came down to the controversial Florida vote. Nowadays NBC literally uses Rockefeller Center for its coverage, renaming it "[[http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1197675!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/hitechtv7n-1-copy.jpg Election Plaza]]" for the night, placing the electoral map on the ice rink, and using the famous 30 Rock itself for the electoral count, shining red and blue lights on the side of the building.
** Parodied by ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' during the 2008 election. See [[http://www.hulu.com/watch/40678 here]] (occurs at the 1:25 mark).
* Very, very fancy bumpers and opens. NBC has gone from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFcw3FiIiKA this]] to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hwpWtf4kco lavish animations]]. ([[Series/TheRachelMaddowShow Rachel Maddow]] says she's extremely fond of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-V2zLEzxKk the 2008 one]].)
* For Presidential elections: intense and breathless monitoring of the "swing" states, i.e. states that aren't reliably Republican or Democrat and therefore the results actually ''are'' up in the air. (Massachusetts, for instance, is going to go to the Democratic candidate, period. Ditto, say, Oklahoma for the Republicans.) These are the states that actually decide elections. The usual suspect for all this wild speculation is UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}}, where the returns are tracked obsessively and to the minute.
** UsefulNotes/{{Florida}} being too close to call for ''days'' after Election Day itself. [[OnlyInFlorida Has been a running joke since 2000.]]
----
Features of '''Canadian''' Election Nights:
* Rick Mercer.
* Peter Mansbridge.
* Parliamentary districts are known as "ridings".
* Western blackouts. Western Canadians have to wait until ''their'' polls close before they can find out the results in other provinces. It's the law.
** This means '''all''' streaming of radio and television in Canada comes to a screeching halt. The election authorities got really touchy in the April 2011 election about Eastern poll results being mentioned at all on Website/{{Twitter}} and Website/{{Facebook}} before closing, though they didn't actually charge anyone with committing a crime.
** Thankfully, the blackout rules were lifted a couple of weeks before the 2015 election, allowing people across the nation access to live election results as soon as the polls closed in Atlantic Canada.
* Similar to the US, party colour maps are applied. As of 2011, 5 different colours have been applied (Liberal red, Conservative blue, New Democrat orange, Bloc Quebecois light blue, and Green, um, green).
----
Features of '''Australian''' Election Nights:
* The population being reminded of the more bizarre Parliament seat names, such as "[[http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2010/guide/mayo.htm Mayo]]" and "[[http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2010/guide/batm.htm Batman]]".
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antony_Green Antony Green]].
* A frontbencher from each party playing a game of civility chicken.
* Boneheads trying to get on camera in the background behind the broadcasters, especially on Channel 7.
* A [[Series/TheChasersWarOnEverything comedy group]] getting just as many, if not more viewers than the major channels as they cover the election ''their'' way.
* Both candidates saying the other candidate winning will be the end of the world, and the loser then conceding that it's not in a civil manner.
----
Features of '''New Zealand''' Election Nights:
* Breaking live crosses to the Prime Minister's house every time his wife goes out the garage to get more beer, or a car clearly marked "Pizza Hut" pulls in the front gate.
* Running commentary on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epsom_%28New_Zealand_electorate%29 Epsom]] electorate vote results as they come in.
----
Features of '''German''' Election Nights:
* Polls closing at 18:00 sharp - first projections (based on exit polls) at precisely this moment - all politicians finding [[InsaneTrollLogic some reason]] to be the actual winner of the election
* The main news (at 20:00) dominated by the election coverage, even it is only a snoozer [[Main/PlaceWorseThanDeath in]] [[Main/TakeThat the]] [[UsefulNotes/TheSixteenLandsOfDeutschland Saarland]].
* A group interview with the leaders of the parties that made it above 5% or were expected to (whether or not certain right wing leaders should be included given their result is SeriousBusiness) - often the "I have won" goes on there as well, most disastrously in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR3ZJ1Lun1I This 2005 example]] that may or may not have ended the political career of Gerhard Schröder.
* Vows to "talk with all democratic parties", often with snark directed at either the Left Party or the [=AfD=]
* Jörg Schönenborn analyzing poll results, including ever more bizarre or irrelevant aspects (e.g. how many FDP voters think the SPD candidate is honest and trustworthy)
** A particular favorite are the "voter migrations" (Wählerwanderung) showing where the gains (or losses) of the several parties came from (or went to)
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 14 (click to see context) from:
** Protest/parody candidates who want a bit of publicity tend to contest these - such as the Monster Raving Loony Party and Lord Buckethead. It's traditional in particular for the Prime Minister to perform his/her post-count speech with a large number of people [[Series/{{Blackadder}} standing at the back dressed stupidly and looking stupid]].
to:
** Protest/parody candidates who want a bit of publicity tend to contest these - such as the Monster Raving Loony Party and Lord Buckethead. It's traditional in particular for the Prime Minister to perform his/her post-count speech with a large number of several people [[Series/{{Blackadder}} standing at the back dressed stupidly and looking stupid]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 14 (click to see context) from:
** Protest/parody candidates who want a bit of publicity tend to contest these - such as the Monster Raving Loony Party and Lord Buckethead. It's traditional in particular for the Prime Minister to perform his/her post-count speech with a large number of people [[Series/Blackadder standing at the back dressed stupidly and looking stupid]].
to:
** Protest/parody candidates who want a bit of publicity tend to contest these - such as the Monster Raving Loony Party and Lord Buckethead. It's traditional in particular for the Prime Minister to perform his/her post-count speech with a large number of people [[Series/Blackadder [[Series/{{Blackadder}} standing at the back dressed stupidly and looking stupid]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
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** Protest/parody candidates who want a bit of publicity tend to contest these - such as the Monster Raving Loony Party and Lord Buckethead. It's traditional in particular for the Prime Minister to perform his/her post-count speech with a large number of people [[Series/Blackadder standing at the back dressed stupidly and looking stupid]].
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* The main news (at 20:00) dominated by the election coverage, even it is only a snoozer in the Saarland
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* The main news (at 20:00) dominated by the election coverage, even it is only a snoozer in the Saarland[[Main/PlaceWorseThanDeath in]] [[Main/TakeThat the]] [[UsefulNotes/TheSixteenLandsOfDeutschland Saarland]].
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* Very, very fancy bumpers and opens. NBC has gone from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFcw3FiIiKA this]] to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hwpWtf4kco lavish animations]]. (RachelMaddow says she's extremely fond of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-V2zLEzxKk the 2008 one]].)
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* Very, very fancy bumpers and opens. NBC has gone from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFcw3FiIiKA this]] to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hwpWtf4kco lavish animations]]. (RachelMaddow ([[Series/TheRachelMaddowShow Rachel Maddow]] says she's extremely fond of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-V2zLEzxKk the 2008 one]].)
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** In recent midterm years: Full election coverage on Creator/{{PBS}} and [[Creator/{{CNN}} cable]] [[{{MSNBC}} news]] [[Creator/FoxNewsChannel channels]] only while the [[Creator/{{CBS}} commercial]] [[Creator/{{ABC}} broadcast]] [[{{Creator/FOX}} TV]] [[Creator/{{NBC}} networks]] show regularly scheduled entertainment programming with news breaks only when new results are available.
to:
** In recent midterm years: Full election coverage on Creator/{{PBS}} and [[Creator/{{CNN}} cable]] [[{{MSNBC}} [[Creator/{{MSNBC}} news]] [[Creator/FoxNewsChannel channels]] only while the [[Creator/{{CBS}} commercial]] [[Creator/{{ABC}} broadcast]] [[{{Creator/FOX}} TV]] [[Creator/{{NBC}} networks]] show regularly scheduled entertainment programming with news breaks only when new results are available.
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Changed line(s) 27 (click to see context) from:
** In recent midterm years: Full election coverage on Creator/{{PBS}} and [[Creator/{{CNN}} cable]] [[{{MSNBC}} news]] [[Creator/FoxNewsChannel channels]] only while the [[Creator/{{CBS}} commercial]] [[Creator/{{ABC}} broadcast]] [[{{Fox}} TV]] [[Creator/{{NBC}} networks]] show regularly scheduled entertainment programming with news breaks only when new results are available.
to:
** In recent midterm years: Full election coverage on Creator/{{PBS}} and [[Creator/{{CNN}} cable]] [[{{MSNBC}} news]] [[Creator/FoxNewsChannel channels]] only while the [[Creator/{{CBS}} commercial]] [[Creator/{{ABC}} broadcast]] [[{{Fox}} [[{{Creator/FOX}} TV]] [[Creator/{{NBC}} networks]] show regularly scheduled entertainment programming with news breaks only when new results are available.
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Changed line(s) 29 (click to see context) from:
* Graphics one-upmanship between networks. CNN had a hologram. A freaking ''hologram'', not to mention the Magic Wall map. This was subverted by the late Tim Russert of NBC, who achieved awesomeness by having a ''dry-erase board and a marker.'' Most famously, he wrote "Florida! Florida! Florida!" on it when the 2000 election came down to the controversial Florida vote. Nowadays NBC literally uses Rockefeller Center for its coverage, placing the electoral map on the ice rink, and using the famous 30 Rock itself for the electoral count.
to:
* Graphics one-upmanship between networks. CNN had a hologram. A freaking ''hologram'', not to mention the Magic Wall map. This was subverted by the late Tim Russert of NBC, who achieved awesomeness by having a ''dry-erase board and a marker.'' Most famously, he wrote "Florida! Florida! Florida!" on it when the 2000 election came down to the controversial Florida vote. Nowadays NBC literally uses Rockefeller Center for its coverage, renaming it "[[http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1197675!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/hitechtv7n-1-copy.jpg Election Plaza]]" for the night, placing the electoral map on the ice rink, and using the famous 30 Rock itself for the electoral count.count, shining red and blue lights on the side of the building.
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* Very, very fancy bumpers and opens. NBC has gone from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFcw3FiIiKA this]] to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hwpWtf4kco lavish animations]]. (RachelMaddow says she's extremely fond of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-V2zLEzxKk the 2008 one]].)
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* The Swingometer: an arrow that swings left or right depending on whether voters have swung left or right. Operated by Peter Snow until 2005.
to:
* The Swingometer: an arrow that swings left or right depending on whether voters have swung left or right. Operated by Peter Snow until 2005. (The Swingometer is designed to deal with swings of up to 30%. In 2015, when the SNP managed to take nearly every Scottish seat irrespective of how safe it previously was, there were some swings that were so big the graphics couldn't cope!)
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* David Dimbleby (until his last election night in 2015). It's theorised that he lives in cryogenic storage and only comes out to do elections and ''Series/QuestionTime''.
to:
* David Dimbleby (until his last election night in 2015). 2017).[[note]]He was originally intended to retire in 2015, but the next election was unexpectedly called three years early[[/note]] It's theorised that he lives in cryogenic storage and only comes out to do elections and ''Series/QuestionTime''.
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* John Curtice, a political scientist who helps produce the official exit poll (predicting how many seats each party will win), has become something of a cult figure (particularly in 2015, when the exit poll was ''completely'' at odds with every previous poll, and in the 40 minutes before results started coming in he was visibly terrified that it was going to be wrong).
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Changed line(s) 28 (click to see context) from:
* Graphics one-upmanship between networks. CNN had a hologram. A freaking ''hologram'', not to mention the Magic Wall map. This was subverted by the late Tim Russert of NBC, who achieved awesomeness by having a ''dry-erase board and a marker.'' Most famously, he wrote "Florida! Florida! Florida!" on it when the 2000 election came down to the controversial Florida vote. Nowadays NBC literally uses Rockefeller Center for its coverage, placing the electoral map on the ice rink, and using the main GE building (the famous 30 Rock) for the electoral count.
to:
* Graphics one-upmanship between networks. CNN had a hologram. A freaking ''hologram'', not to mention the Magic Wall map. This was subverted by the late Tim Russert of NBC, who achieved awesomeness by having a ''dry-erase board and a marker.'' Most famously, he wrote "Florida! Florida! Florida!" on it when the 2000 election came down to the controversial Florida vote. Nowadays NBC literally uses Rockefeller Center for its coverage, placing the electoral map on the ice rink, and using the main GE building (the famous 30 Rock) Rock itself for the electoral count.
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Changed line(s) 28,30 (click to see context) from:
* Graphics one-upmanship between networks. CNN had a hologram. A freaking ''hologram'', not to mention the Magic Wall map.
** This is subverted by the late Tim Russert of NBC who achieved awesomeness by having a ''dry-erase board and a marker.'' Most famously, he wrote "Florida! Florida! Florida!" on it when the 2000 election came down to the controversial Florida vote.
*** How about the fact that NBC literally uses Rockefeller Center for its coverage; placing the electoral map on the ice rink, and using the main GE building for the electoral count.
** This is subverted by the late Tim Russert of NBC who achieved awesomeness by having a ''dry-erase board and a marker.'' Most famously, he wrote "Florida! Florida! Florida!" on it when the 2000 election came down to the controversial Florida vote.
*** How about the fact that NBC literally uses Rockefeller Center for its coverage; placing the electoral map on the ice rink, and using the main GE building for the electoral count.
to:
* Graphics one-upmanship between networks. CNN had a hologram. A freaking ''hologram'', not to mention the Magic Wall map.
**map. This is was subverted by the late Tim Russert of NBC NBC, who achieved awesomeness by having a ''dry-erase board and a marker.'' Most famously, he wrote "Florida! Florida! Florida!" on it when the 2000 election came down to the controversial Florida vote.
*** How about the fact thatvote. Nowadays NBC literally uses Rockefeller Center for its coverage; coverage, placing the electoral map on the ice rink, and using the main GE building (the famous 30 Rock) for the electoral count.
**
*** How about the fact that
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** This means '''all''' streaming of radio and television in Canada comes to a screeching halt. The election authorities got really touchy in the April 2011 election about Eastern poll results being mentioned at all on {{Twitter}} and {{Facebook}} before closing, though they didn't actually charge anyone with committing a crime.
to:
** This means '''all''' streaming of radio and television in Canada comes to a screeching halt. The election authorities got really touchy in the April 2011 election about Eastern poll results being mentioned at all on {{Twitter}} Website/{{Twitter}} and {{Facebook}} Website/{{Facebook}} before closing, though they didn't actually charge anyone with committing a crime.
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In fiction, this it what happens during an ElectionDayEpisode.
to:
In fiction, this it is what happens during an ElectionDayEpisode.
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* A frontbencher from each part playing a game of civility chicken.
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* A frontbencher from each part party playing a game of civility chicken.
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* Both candidates saying the other candidate winning will be the end of the world, and then conceding that it's not in a civil manner after their loss.
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* Both candidates saying the other candidate winning will be the end of the world, and the loser then conceding that it's not in a civil manner after their loss.
manner.
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* A [[TheChasersWarOnEverything comedy group]] getting just as many, if not more viewers than the major channels as they cover the election ''their'' way.
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* A [[TheChasersWarOnEverything [[Series/TheChasersWarOnEverything comedy group]] getting just as many, if not more viewers than the major channels as they cover the election ''their'' way.
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* Jörg Schönenborn analyzing poll results, including ever more bizarre or irrelevant aspects (e.g. how many FDP voters think the SPD candidate is honest and trustworthy)
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* Jörg Schönenborn analyzing poll results, including ever more bizarre or irrelevant aspects (e.g. how many FDP voters think the SPD candidate is honest and trustworthy)trustworthy)
** A particular favorite are the "voter migrations" (Wählerwanderung) showing where the gains (or losses) of the several parties came from (or went to)
** A particular favorite are the "voter migrations" (Wählerwanderung) showing where the gains (or losses) of the several parties came from (or went to)
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* Vows to "talk with all democratic parties", often with snark directed at either the Left Party or the [=AfD=]
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* Vows to "talk with all democratic parties", often with snark directed at either the Left Party or the [=AfD=][=AfD=]
* Jörg Schönenborn analyzing poll results, including ever more bizarre or irrelevant aspects (e.g. how many FDP voters think the SPD candidate is honest and trustworthy)
* Jörg Schönenborn analyzing poll results, including ever more bizarre or irrelevant aspects (e.g. how many FDP voters think the SPD candidate is honest and trustworthy)
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* Running commentary on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epsom_%28New_Zealand_electorate%29 Epsom]] electorate vote results as they come in.
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* Running commentary on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epsom_%28New_Zealand_electorate%29 Epsom]] electorate vote results as they come in.in.
----
Features of '''German''' Election Nights:
* Polls closing at 18:00 sharp - first projections (based on exit polls) at precisely this moment - all politicians finding [[InsaneTrollLogic some reason]] to be the actual winner of the election
* The main news (at 20:00) dominated by the election coverage, even it is only a snoozer in the Saarland
* A group interview with the leaders of the parties that made it above 5% or were expected to (whether or not certain right wing leaders should be included given their result is SeriousBusiness) - often the "I have won" goes on there as well, most disastrously in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR3ZJ1Lun1I This 2005 example]] that may or may not have ended the political career of Gerhard Schröder.
* Vows to "talk with all democratic parties", often with snark directed at either the Left Party or the [=AfD=]
----
Features of '''German''' Election Nights:
* Polls closing at 18:00 sharp - first projections (based on exit polls) at precisely this moment - all politicians finding [[InsaneTrollLogic some reason]] to be the actual winner of the election
* The main news (at 20:00) dominated by the election coverage, even it is only a snoozer in the Saarland
* A group interview with the leaders of the parties that made it above 5% or were expected to (whether or not certain right wing leaders should be included given their result is SeriousBusiness) - often the "I have won" goes on there as well, most disastrously in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR3ZJ1Lun1I This 2005 example]] that may or may not have ended the political career of Gerhard Schröder.
* Vows to "talk with all democratic parties", often with snark directed at either the Left Party or the [=AfD=]
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* The General Elections (not local or European elections) will most likely have Rick Wakeman's "Arthur" as its theme. (omitted in the 2001 & 2010 elections when more generic music was used).
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* The General Elections (not local or European elections) will most likely have Rick Wakeman's "Arthur" as its theme. (omitted in the 2001 & 2001, 2010 and 2015 elections when more generic music was used).
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In fiction, this it what happens during an ElectionDayEpisode.
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* David Dimbleby. It's theorised that he lives in cryogenic storage and only comes out to do elections and ''Series/QuestionTime''.
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* David Dimbleby.Dimbleby (until his last election night in 2015). It's theorised that he lives in cryogenic storage and only comes out to do elections and ''Series/QuestionTime''.
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** Thankfully, the blackout rules were lifted a couple of weeks before the 2015 election, allowing people across the nation access to live election results as soon as the polls closed in Atlantic Canada.
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* Similar to the US, party colour maps are applied. As of 2011, 5 different colours have been applied (Liberal red, Conservative blue, New Democrat orange, Bloc Quebecois light blue, and Green).
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* Similar to the US, party colour maps are applied. As of 2011, 5 different colours have been applied (Liberal red, Conservative blue, New Democrat orange, Bloc Quebecois light blue, and Green).
Green, um, green).
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** In recent midterm years: Full election coverage on Creator/{{PBS}} and [[Creator/{{CNN}} cable]] [[{{MSNBC}} news]] [[FoxNews channels]] only while the [[Creator/{{CBS}} commercial]] [[Creator/{{ABC}} broadcast]] [[{{Fox}} TV]] [[Creator/{{NBC}} networks]] show regularly scheduled entertainment programming with news breaks only when new results are available.
to:
** In recent midterm years: Full election coverage on Creator/{{PBS}} and [[Creator/{{CNN}} cable]] [[{{MSNBC}} news]] [[FoxNews [[Creator/FoxNewsChannel channels]] only while the [[Creator/{{CBS}} commercial]] [[Creator/{{ABC}} broadcast]] [[{{Fox}} TV]] [[Creator/{{NBC}} networks]] show regularly scheduled entertainment programming with news breaks only when new results are available.
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* Results coming in waves at the top of the hour (and occasionally just after the half-hour marks) between 7 PM and midnight Eastern time, as the country is spread across five time zones and each state sets its own time for when the polls close.
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* Results coming in waves at the top of the hour (and occasionally just after the half-hour marks) between 7 PM and midnight Eastern time, as the country is spread across five six time zones zones[[note]]the States, anyway—Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaskan, and Hawaii-Aleutian, though only the first four cover the forty-eight contiguous states[[/note]] and each state sets its own time for when the polls close.
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** In recent midterm years: Full election coverage on Creator/{{PBS}} and [[{{CNN}} cable]] [[{{MSNBC}} news]] [[FoxNews channels]] only while the [[Creator/{{CBS}} commercial]] [[Creator/{{ABC}} broadcast]] [[{{Fox}} TV]] [[Creator/{{NBC}} networks]] show regularly scheduled entertainment programming with news breaks only when new results are available.
to:
** In recent midterm years: Full election coverage on Creator/{{PBS}} and [[{{CNN}} [[Creator/{{CNN}} cable]] [[{{MSNBC}} news]] [[FoxNews channels]] only while the [[Creator/{{CBS}} commercial]] [[Creator/{{ABC}} broadcast]] [[{{Fox}} TV]] [[Creator/{{NBC}} networks]] show regularly scheduled entertainment programming with news breaks only when new results are available.
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Changed line(s) 21 (click to see context) from:
* The "Red State/Blue State" map, where states won by Republicans are colored red, and states won by Democrats are colored blue. This color scheme did not become standard until after the 2000 election. [[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/When-Republicans-Were-Blue-and-Democrats-Were-Red-176776491.html Color schemes before then had varied]]. Not by much, but some news agencies used to use red for Democrats and blue for Republicans, and to this day "polls still open" "too close to call", "independent/third-party" and so on are not at all standardized (although where they have to be included, the Greens have a pretty solid hold on green).
to:
* The "Red State/Blue State" map, where states won by Republicans are colored red, and states won by Democrats are colored blue. This color scheme did not become standard [[NewerThanTheyThink until after the 2000 election.election]]. [[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/When-Republicans-Were-Blue-and-Democrats-Were-Red-176776491.html Color schemes before then had varied]]. Not by much, but some news agencies used to use red for Democrats and blue for Republicans, and to this day "polls still open" "too close to call", "independent/third-party" and so on are not at all standardized (although where they have to be included, the Greens have a pretty solid hold on green).
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* Presidential election years only: [[WildMassGuessing Wild Math Guessing]] as the results come in and pundits try to figure out how each candidate can get to 270 electoral votes with what they have and the remaining states. If they talk about a candidate having "flip" Texas or California to win, it's basically already over.
to:
* Presidential election years only: [[IncrediblyLamePun Wild Math]] [[WildMassGuessing Wild Math Guessing]] as the results come in and pundits try to figure out how each candidate can get to 270 electoral votes with what they have and the remaining states. If they talk about a candidate having "flip" Texas or California to win, win[[note]]Texas and California are not only the two largest states (giving them the most electoral votes), they also each very reliably favor one party (Republicans for the former and Democrats for the latter), thus making it extremely unlikely for a candidate of the opposing party to flip the state over in an election close enough that it would actually matter[[/note]], it's basically already over.
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* For Presidential elections: intense and breathless monitoring of the "swing" states, i.e. states that aren't reliably Republican or Democrat and therefore the results actually ''are'' up in the air. (Massachusetts, for instance, is going to go to the Democratic candidate, period. Ditto, say, Georgia for the Republicans.) These are the states that actually decide elections. The usual suspect for all this wild speculation is UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}}, where the returns are tracked obsessively and to the minute.
* UsefulNotes/{{Florida}} being too close to call for ''days'' after Election Day itself. [[OnlyInFlorida Has been a running joke since 2000.]]
* UsefulNotes/{{Florida}} being too close to call for ''days'' after Election Day itself. [[OnlyInFlorida Has been a running joke since 2000.]]
to:
* For Presidential elections: intense and breathless monitoring of the "swing" states, i.e. states that aren't reliably Republican or Democrat and therefore the results actually ''are'' up in the air. (Massachusetts, for instance, is going to go to the Democratic candidate, period. Ditto, say, Georgia Oklahoma for the Republicans.) These are the states that actually decide elections. The usual suspect for all this wild speculation is UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}}, where the returns are tracked obsessively and to the minute.
* ** UsefulNotes/{{Florida}} being too close to call for ''days'' after Election Day itself. [[OnlyInFlorida Has been a running joke since 2000.]]
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Changed line(s) 21 (click to see context) from:
* The "Red State/Blue State" map, where states won by Republicans are colored red, and states won by Democrats are colored blue. This color scheme did not become standard until after the 2000 election. [[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/When-Republicans-Were-Blue-and-Democrats-Were-Red-176776491.html Color schemes before then had varied]]. Not by much, but some news agencies used to use red for Democrats and blue for Republicans, and to this day "polls still open" "too close to call", "independent/third-party" and so on are not at all standardized.
to:
* The "Red State/Blue State" map, where states won by Republicans are colored red, and states won by Democrats are colored blue. This color scheme did not become standard until after the 2000 election. [[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/When-Republicans-Were-Blue-and-Democrats-Were-Red-176776491.html Color schemes before then had varied]]. Not by much, but some news agencies used to use red for Democrats and blue for Republicans, and to this day "polls still open" "too close to call", "independent/third-party" and so on are not at all standardized.standardized (although where they have to be included, the Greens have a pretty solid hold on green).
