BBC NEWS | Election 2005 | Election Map

BBC NEWS | Election 2005 | Election Map

11:50: One difference between UK and USA election returns is the hyperactivity of results: In the US we have the luxury of time zones and some staggering of poll closings, so the results trickle in from 6 PM (Iowa time) till the wee hours. All lpolls in the UK close at the same time, 10 PM. And there are no preliminary results by precinct or county. There's just one result: the final. So the results come in not in a cross country steady sweep but in a rapidly ramping up bell curve, peaking at 2 or 3 AM. That may contribute to Peter Snow's hyperactivity...