Enter the Polls First, Then Worry About the Exit Polls

Election day is also exit poll day for many in the chattering classes, with much discussion of whether the exit polls might leak and whether they're accurate in predicting the election. Tonight, if the results are lopsided enough, there's even the possibility that the networks may call the election before the polls close on the West Coast.

We could leap into the technical analysis here, but there are plenty of good interpretations out there. There will also be fierce debate over what the networks choose to do, and whether calling the election early will keep people from voting. The point we've made before about other pre-election polls is all the more relevant for exit polls. The real benefit in exit polling is finding out why people voted the way they did, not getting a few hours head start on finding out who's going to win. Barring any major meltdowns, we'll all know soon enough.

Lots of people in the media and the political world treat politics like it was a sport. Well, if it is, it's not supposed to be a spectator sport. It's supposed to be a sport that everybody plays. Today, the election isn't about the talking heads or political junkies anymore. It's about the voters. And projections can only influence your behavior if you let it happen. Ignore them and you'll be fine.

If you're having trouble at the polls today, there are several initiatives that let people spread the word like Video Your Vote, My Fair Election and Twitter's Vote Report. If you need help, the Vote411 site from the League of Women voters is incredibly useful. And for the best election night coverage ever, you should turn to Monty Python: