I always get a vicarious kick out of the British election results, which should start trickling in around our supper time. The anticipated result is a "hung Parliament" with no one party winning more than 50 percent of the seats. The UK's two and a half party system has transitioned, with Labour's decline and the Liberal's re-emergence, into a full-fledged three party system. Throw in relatively strong fourth parties, the regional parties in Scotland and Wales, plus the four entire different Northern Ireland parties, and you can see how getting to the magic number (326) is a tough slog.
FiveThirtyEight has all sorts of scenarios, none of which look good for Gordon Brown and Labour.
Assorted election results mothership pages:
Some of the rituals: A few districts ("constituencies" which are named not numbered) race to get the first result. Ballots are paper and hand counted, but they're not voting on 30-odd judges and soil commissioners like we do. Candidates go down to the local equivalent of our county auditor (the "returning officer") to hear the results read, in person, and stand there in triumph or (like poor Kevin Phillips Bong above) humiliation. No lame duck period; if David Cameron and the Conservatives win a clear majority the moving van will be backed up to Number 10 Downing Street first thing tomorrow morning.
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