The Post is reporting that President Bush may give a victory speech today, regardless of whether Kerry concedes defeat. From the Post:

The White House has not yet announced what time Bush will appear. The campaign at first summoned reporters to appear at the Ronald Reagan Building between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. but then put off the event."

The BBC is reporting this morning that "Fears of Ohio Deadlock Start to Fade." In other election news, DCist has heard talk of Democrats considering mobilizing volunteers to go to Ohio, and some activists have begun to talk about protests to be held on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2005.

D.C. Government has posted their unofficial elections results.

Update 11:00 a.m.: Metro: Help is on the way. Fairfax and Arlington Counties approve transportation spending.
Update 11:30 a.m.: Kerry has conceded the election, the AP reports.

2:15 a.m. ... It all hung on Ohio or it may still hang on Ohio. Some media outlets have put Ohio in the Bush column, but it appears that the Kerry camp hasn't given up all hope yet. Ohio's 20 electoral votes may be up in the air for days. There are still ballots to be counted. But right now, it appears that George W. Bush will be re-elected and Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts will go down in defeat. We hope that we aren't pulling a "Dewey Defeats Truman" in saying this, but as of 2:15 a.m., that is how things are looking. But CNN declared Ohio as a "Green/Too Close to Call" state at 1:52 a.m., and there will be a delay in Iowa, which is having voter machine issues ... The lawyers are going in. So we could be going into a Florida 2000 scenario. Nevada and Wisconsin are still quite close as well.

And Republicans seemed to have increased their margins on Capitol Hill. The GOP has retained control of the House and Senate. The Democrats lost/are losing critical Senate races in Alaska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Georgia. Republicans lost Senate races in Colorado and Illinois. South Dakota and Florida are close, but the Republicans appear to have the edge.

It's been a long day, DCist has to work in the morning and we'll be taking a look at a lot of this in the morning. Good night.

UPDATE 7:45 a.m. It looks like not much has changed in the past few hours. According to the Post, President Bush's chief of staff, Andrew Card, told GOP supporters at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center that they are all "convinced" of the president's re-election. Kerry vows to continue the battle to count provisional ballots.

UPDATE 9:00 a.m. Small group gathering in Dupont Circle with banners, posters, passing out leaflets saying "the system is rotten." Commuters on Red Line, N2 bus line generally silent, dazed, confused-looking, intently reading Post.

As the nation watches election returns come in, much of D.C. is watching the state of play in key Congressional races.

Go to the jump for updated results ...

Photo of D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton speaking at the Dems' party at the Capital Hilton from a DCist operative on the ground at the hotel

DCist contributor Becca took this photo in Arlington, Virginia early this morning.

Let the fun begin.

Election returns have begun to filter in, and the networks have begun to predict winners for the presidential contest in non-swing states and in some Senate competitions. DCist on election TV, Senate and House races to watch, and when the polls close across the nation in Eastern Time

Here's some handy links for results: W. Post, Yahoo Election, CNN, NY Times, BBC News "Vote USA 2004", DemocraticUnderground.com. To keep your eye on close House races, the DCCC's Resultron is useful.

Reuters thinks early numbers showing Kerry up posted on blogs put them "on center stage".

In related news, Wonkette (who ran early poll data like Drudge and Kos) was forced to temporarily re-design her site to accommodate a crush of election-related traffic, her counter registering almost 300,000 hits today at 8 p.m.

Photo shot by DCist photographer Grayson Shepard earlier this evening.

Update 8:35 p.m. - A reader writes "Penn Ave on the hill has been invaded by the bow tie set ... it is crazy down there. Lines longer than new years eve ... Hawn n Dove, Politiki, Capitol Lounge... even Tunnicliffs was very crazy, not a seat in the house"
Update 8:52 p.m. A group calling themselves the Beyond Voting Coalition is planning protests in 30 cities tomorrow, including D.C.:

Nov. 2 - converge at Lafayette Park at 9pm to demand that the winner of the election end the war and occupation of Iraq.
Nov. 3 - converge at Dupont Circle at 8am for an unpermitted march with loads of noise because "no matter who wins the system is rotten."
Nov. 3 - converge at Lafayette Park at 6pm to speak out against the war and if necessary, to speak out against a stolen election.
Nov. 6 - (saturday) meet at noon at Dupont Circle, march on White House, (or Kerry’s home) to demand the end of the occupation of Iraq.

Grab your electoral maps political junkies and keep tabs on when each state will be called. We've compiled a list of when each state closes its polls. For more detailed info, check here.

6 p.m. EST. Polls close in Kentucky and Indiana.

7 p.m. EST. Polls close in Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia.

7:30 p.m. EST. Polls close in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.

8 p.m. EST. Polls close in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas.

8:30 p.m. EST. Polls close in Arkansas.

9 p.m. EST. Polls close in Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

10 p.m. EST. Polls close in Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nevada and Utah.

11 p.m. EST. Polls close in California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

12 midnight EST. Polls close in Alaska.

(Image from CongressForKids.net)

Since we're still a few hours from any elections returns, here's a roundup of what's going on across the nation..

>> Gothamist reports that there have been long lines to vote. Similar reports have been echoed on LAist, SFist and Chicagoist. Chicagoist editor Margaret Lyons even relates her voting experience this morning, which involved slipping and falling in front of her polling place.

>> Chicagoist also writes about Celeste Wroblewski, a Chicago mom who started Republican Switchers, a blog started when Democratic Sen. Zell Miller of Georgia spoke at the Republican National Convention, denouncing his party.

>> Meanwhile, back in New York ... Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg is making a shocking prediction: "Kerry will certainly carry the state and New York City ..."

And now that we are in the age of the cameraphone, you can snap a photo of your vote inside the booth.

>> Locally, we hear the afternoon voting lines are not as long as morning ones. One reader says:

I just got back from Foundry (16th & P) and the long line from this
morning's Post article has evaporated. Babak Movahedi and Carol Schwartz are out pressing the flesh, but there are more poll workers than voters at this point, so anyone who was afraid of running into a line has no excuse anymore.

>> So if you haven't voted, go out and vote. Enjoy a good meal (look for DCist at Chef Geoff's downtown for half-price wine and burgers around 7 p.m.) and tune in to DCist tonight for all the latest elections news.

No matter who comes out on top after the election is all over, we know who the real winner of Insanity 2004 is: the bloggers. And given that most blogs are the bastard progeny of political punditry and partisan hysteria, we figured, who better to predict the outcome of it all? So we searched around and found the predictions of a few blogger elite who were brave enough to put their money where their mouths are.

>> Andrew Sullivan: I've been asked to make a prediction. It's so close you'd be a fool to do so now. So I'll stick with my hunch back last March and say Kerry is going to win. I say that simply because Bush's record is too poor to merit re-election. And I trust the American people to realize that. As soon as Kerry proved he was a viable alternative in the debates, he won.

>> Matthew Yglesias (left): Based on my analysis of the nationwide tracking polls it's clear to me that either John Kerry or George Bush is going to win this election. Badnarik fans, Nader fans, sorry, but this just isn't your day. Maybe next time....

If you weren't able to snag a ticket to the official Democratic, Republican, third-party-of-choice Election Night parties, there are plenty of election-related activities this evening. The Post has a complete round-up here, but DCist wants to highlight a few events.

>> Want to know what the results are, but also want to dance? Go to the Black Cat where the "finest media collage artists in the world, including DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid, will converge ..." A Ten, Five and Five Ones has details. Doors at 8:30 p.m. $12.

>> If you bring your own TV to the Velvet Lounge tonight you get in free. If not, $6 will get you in to see the "punkster-satarists" Political Blockheads.

>> FairVote/Center for Voting and Democracy, a nonpartisan election reform organization, is hosting a "couch pundit extravaganza" at the Big Hunt on Connecticut Avenue south of Dupont Circle. Expect election-related games and cheap beer, all night.

>> Wonkette reminds us of that Lucky Bar is hosting Votergasm. How appropriate. (See all DC Votergasm parties)

And if you see anything interesting tonight, e.g. an Alan Keyes supporter in tears, a Bush/Kerry supporter cheering/jeering/fuming, let us know. E-mail Rob at rob [at] dcist [dot] com or Mike at mike [at] dcist [dot] com.

It's Election Night. The thousands of polls; the elevation of towns like Wausau, Wis., to the national stage; the negative natterings of the nabobs -- it all comes down to this. Millions will be glued to the TV to (hopefully) watch the media put an endcap on what has seemed like the longest election campaign ever. And whether they come from Fox News to CNN, the great white board of Tim Russert at NBC to the genius of "The Daily Show," we all know we'll be hearing the same catch phrases over, over, and over again. And if you're anything like DCist, you're thinking what we're thinking: what a great excuse for a drinking game! It doesn't matter if you're a Republican, a Democrat, or (gasp!) an undecided voter -- a good drinking game is the great leveler. So without further ado, we present the official DCist Election Night drinking game!

(image of Magic Hat Brewing Company's Participation Ale)

Major networks across the board will sacrifice a crucial night of the November sweeps period in the name of civic duty. Election Night coverage starts at 8 p.m. on most broadcast networks and presumably continues on through the wee hours of the morning. Here's your handy-dandy guide to Election Night viewing.

ABC News: Peter Jennings anchors Vote 2004 with the help of George Stephanopoulos and Terry Moran. Former Salon.com writer Jake Tapper will have regular "Ballot Watch" reports.

CBS News: Despite recent reports doubting Dan Rather's journalistic cred, he'll continue to anchor Campaign 2004 coverage. Frankly, DCist is pleased Rather will be back this election night as we fondly remember the homey expressions he used last time around. Our favorite was when he called the 2000 presidential race "hotter then ice cream in a microwave."

NBC News: Tom Brokaw will take the helm for Decision 2004 one last time for NBC News. This will be the veteran broadcaster's last presidential election before he steps down from anchors chair on Dec. 1. Tim Russert of "Meet the Press" will be by Brokaw's side, hopefully with that same nifty white board and erasable markers like last time.

PBS: Count on Jim Lehrer to bring some decency and seriousness to tonight vote-off on PBS. We suspect that while PBS may have the lowest viewership tomorrow night, it may be the only one worth watching.

Cable News: Of course, we can't forget about cable network news. CNN, Fox and MSNBC will be out in full force with their campaign teams. You won't be able to escape them. We just spied the Rockettes dancing on Democracy Plaza on MSNBC!

MTV News: No, that's not a typo. MTV News will be showing a special edition of its popular video countdown show, "Total Request Live," where they'll update the audience on election results. Expect field reports from Kurt Loder, John Norris, Sway and Gideon Yago.

Comedy Central: "The Daily Show" will broadcast "Indecision 2004: Prelude to a Recount" live an hour earlier at 10 p.m. tonight to report on the reporting of the election. It's a chance for some real time mocking of the media, and you won't want to miss it.

Worried that the networks will feed you misinformation like last time? Well, so are we, but the AP reports that "ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News Channel and The Associated Press collaborated to construct a new exit polling system from scratch." We hope this means that no network actually calls a state before the polls close, and show some election night caution.

So DCers, who are you watching the Election Night results with?

As we've mentioned, lines to vote today have been forcasted to be long, and indeed they are. This photo here is of the voting site at the 2nd District Police headquarters on Idaho Avenue. Over at the International Union of Operating Engineers hall in Glover Park, the line to vote stretched down Calvert Street nearly to the western gate to the vice president's house at the Naval Observatory. (Here's the Post's morning update on area voting.)

The weather, by the way, is beautiful. CapitalWeather says that Kerry has the weather advantage.

Meanwhile, on our loop of the city this morning, DCist noticed that the McPherson Square Starbucks (15th and I sts, there are two on locations on the square), commonly dubbed the Kerry Starbucks (as it is nearest to the Kerry-Edwards headquarters on 15th Street), was buzzing. In fact, the line was out the door at one point around 8:15. We even saw some disheveled, droopy-eyed Kerry staffers meeting in the corner going through a stack of papers, with one dispatching an underling, saying something about "Lancaster." Who knows ... Regardless, it's going to be a long night for them, and most probably won't get to enjoy the big party the Dems are throwing at the Capitol Hilton on 16th Street. (The GOP has the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center reserved for their big bash.)

Tourists around the White House were few early this morning, though we did spot this cameraman at the White House's South Lawn fence. President Bush returns to the capital this evening after an unusual Election Day rally in Ohio.

What was your experience voting this morning?

The Post indicates that lines to vote today are going to be long. Although DCist is not in the business of endorsing candidates, we can encourage you to vote. Here's how you can do it, assuming you're registered.

But once you get in line, be patient, as democracy can mean standing around for a while. From the Post:

"The word [today] is going to be patience," said Montgomery County election Director Margaret A. Jurgensen. "There are going to be large, long lines, and we are going to do our best to get people through the lines as quickly as possible."

(DCist will be out and about with our cameras. This one was taken this weekend at a tourist kiosk where you can get three Bush magnets for a buck.)

While the race for the White House will dominate the Election Night coverage, the future of the Senate hangs in the balance tomorrow as voters in a handful of states will determine who will control the chamber. But the Republicans seem that they will likely hold on to their majority, though it will be very slim.

South Dakota: After the Bush-Kerry matchup, all eyes will be on the Mount Rushmore State. There, former Rep. John Thune (right), a Republican, will try to take down Democrat Tom Daschle, the Senate's minority leader. Though Daschle has always had to compete in a largely Republican state, the national Republican establishment has made Daschle 's defeat a primary objective. Thune lost by a few hundred votes in 2002 in his challenge against Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson.

Though the race will be close, whispers inside the Beltway have been bringing up talk of a new Democratic Senate leadership slate should Daschle be defeated. On an interesting related note, South Dakotans have been subjected to anti-Daschle ads criticizing the minority leader's Foxhall Road home in Upper Northwest.

Political satire takes center stage at 10 p.m. on NBC. "Saturday Night Live's Presidential Bash 2004: The Great Debates" will showcase some of the best political skits from the past 30 years. Highlights include the Bush (Will Ferrell) - Gore (Darrell Hammond) debate of 2000, the 1992 Clinton (Phil Hartman) - Bush (Dana Carvey) - Perot(Dana Carvey) debates and goes way back in time for the 1988 Bush (Dana Carvey again) - Dukakis (Jon Lovitz) debates. There will also be some new skits with Darrel Hammond as Dick Cheney, Seth Meyers as John Kerry and Will Forte as President Bush.

We think this will be the intentionally funniest episode of SNL in some time. The SNL website has posted a clip from the show.

Election Night will be a frenzy of returns, predictions and analysis. While all eyes will be on the Race for the White House, don't forget that there will be many tight races that will determine the make-up of Congress and control of the House and the Senate. So when you're watching news coverage on Election Night, we'd like to point you to a few interesting races that will be worth watching. For the time being we'll start with the House of Representatives.

House Democrats publicly say that they can close their 12-seat deficit and some optimists say the potential is there to retake the House. House Republicans say that is foolish, but if all of the Democrats' planets are aligned, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat of San Francisco, could become the first woman Speaker of the House. So while the Democrats may pick up seats, it is probably unlikely they will clinch the majority.

The 'Texas 5': Texas Republicans, led by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, successfully had the Lone State State's Congressional district lines redrawn to help elect more GOP members to the state's House delegation in Washington. While Democrats tried to thwart the plan (by fleeing across state lines to Oklahoma and New Mexico to deny a quorum in Austin), the plan made it through endangering five Democratic incumbents: Charlie Stemholm, Max Sandlin, Chet Edwards, Martin Frost and Nick Lampson. (Edwards is seen as having the best shot at fighting off a GOP challengers, but the rest could be doomed.) The race member-vs.-member race between Frost and Pete Sessions is worth watching for two reasons: (1) It will be one of the most expensive House races in history, and (2) Frost's defeat would be viewed as a personal victory for Majority Leader DeLay, as they are enemies. If Frost wins, DeLay, who was recently admonished twice by the House ethics committee, will have egg on his face.