It may be strange, but ...

[layla]

... I love watching the election results come in. At least partly, this fascination dates back to my childhood, I think; my dad was politically active and encouraged us to be, so election nights meant staying up 'till midnight with the TV on, watching the voting tallies get incremented and cheering on one side or the other. (My mother put up with it; for her, politics was something that happened to other people.) Now it's the Internet rather than the TV, but in a way it's even better because you have so much control -- I'll typically spend election night surfing between various states' returns, watching referendums I'd never heard of get voted in or down, watching the close races and the landslides. Alaska has the farthest-west precincts, too, so by the time our poll results start coming in, many of the other states' races are already decided. It makes AK the perfect place to watch the other states' results without having to wait for morning to see how it'll all shape up. I *do* think it's important to be informed about this sort of thing, but that doesn't explain the visceral excitement that I get out of it -- it's like the ultimate spectator sport, one that has very real consequences.

Comments

[humanplacebo.livejournal.com]

I stand by my assessment of a three-party system in Alaska: Republican, Democrat and Crazy. Generally a statewide candidate wins by having support from two of the three groups, unless the vote is split three ways, in which case any of them can win. (e.g. gov. Hickle, running as a Crazy candidate.) It was interesting to see the first female Republican/Crazy governor elected!

[laylalawlor.livejournal.com]

That is about the most perfect summation of Alaskan politics that I've ever heard, really.

It's also hilarious watching the candidates attempt to court the coveted Crazy voting bloc and the sane voters in their party at the same time.