I'm still at the Obama party in St. Paul.  Just talked to a group of students from Carlton College in southern Minnesota.  They traveled up to the Twin Cities to attend both the Minnesota Republican and Minnesota Democrat results party.  They told me the Republicans' party was very different from the Democrats'.  "It was kind of sad, there were like only three hundred people there," one girl said, describing the Republican party.

Lots of cheering here as Obama is about to give his speech. 

I'm blogging from the Crowne Plaza hotel in St. Paul, where Democrats are holding what they hope will be a victory party.  Several of the hotel's conference rooms are packed with Obama supporters.  Spirits are high, and there has been lots of cheering throughout the evening as states are called for Obama.  Since Obama has won Minnesota, Democrats are now waiting to see how Al Franken does in his race against Sen. Norm Coleman for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

I talked with a University of Minnesota student and Obama volunteer who says she thinks Minnesota will stay blue.

It's an overcast day here in Minnesota, but for Obama supporters at the University of Minnesota campus, their outlook is sunny.  McCain students at the U of MN are few and far between.  Those that I have found are reluctant to talk to me.  Conversely, Obama supporters are more than eager to tell me.  They tell me that Minnesota is staying blue, and would demand a recount if McCain carried the state.

What I've found most interesting today is how students want to shed light on other races.  The presidential race is the big star of this election, but many students have told me that they hope young voters will remember to research the other candidates for other offices up for election.

Considering Minnesota doesn’t have early voting, I am very impressed at how fast I was able to vote.  I was expecting long lines and lots of waiting.  Instead, I found my polling place had 30 voting booths and lots of knowledgeable volunteers who made the whole process very efficient.

Minnesota is one of 14 states (plus D.C.) that require voters to have an excuse in order to be allowed to vote early.  This means that I have a lot on my plate today; I’m super pumped to cover the election, but it is very important to me that I vote!  So my plan is to go to the polls now, get in line, and hope that it moves quickly.

My experiences voting here in Minnesota have always been smooth.  Even when I wasn’t registered ahead of time (hey, it’s easy to forget when you’re in college with a lot on your mind!) I was still able to do same day regi...