Politics

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LYNN NEARY, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Lynn Neary. We're going to check in now with a couple of our reporters at polling stations around the country. We'll hear in a moment from Colorado. First, to Florida. NPR's Greg Allen joins us from College Park Baptist Church in Orlando. Hi, Greg.

GREG ALLEN, BYLINE: Hi, Lynn.

NEARY: What are you hearing from voters there today, Greg?

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LYNN NEARY, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Lynn Neary. It is almost over. After more than $2 billion and about a thousand campaign events, we will soon know the results.

MITT ROMNEY: This is a big day for big change. We're about to change America to help people in ways they didn't imagine they could be helped, with good jobs and better take-home pay.

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LYNN NEARY, HOST:

And now to NPR's Pam Fessler who has been covering voting issues throughout the campaign. Hi, Pam.

PAM FESSLER, BYLINE: Hello.

NEARY: So what have you been hearing so far? How's voting going? Any problems so far?

The most expensive election in U.S. history could be decided by one a tight margin. As results begin to roll in, all eyes are on Ohio, Florida and other swing states that are still too close to call. And both campaigns have lawyers at the ready in case of recounts or problems at polling places.

Talk of the Nation's favorite film buff Murray Horwitz lobbies for his picks for the best Election Day movies of all time. From Reese Witherspoon's Tracy Flick running for student council president in Election, to Chris Rock playing a fictional first black president in Head of State, cast your vote.

The candidates' speechwriters are busy crafting two different sets of remarks for two different outcomes: A victory speech and a concession speech. Former Clinton White House speech writer Paul Glastris and former Reagan White House speech writer Peter Robinson talk about the art of the speech.

Candidates vying for public office on every level subject themselves to intense public scrutiny, constant fundraising and attacks from opponents. Some run because they want power or hope to champion particular issues. Others want to see agendas through or feel they have legacies to fulfill.

According to the National Democratic Institute, the world will be watching as results of Tuesday's U.S. presidential election are tabulated. So we thought we'd turn the tables and take a look at how voting is exercised in other countries.

In the U.S., barring the occasional odd polling place, most engaged citizens file into their local elementary schools and churches or, more recently, vote via mail-in ballot.

Host Michel Martin continues the conversation about the big issues missing on the campaign trail. Issues like crime, caregiving, poverty and climate change might affect millions of people, but they may not win a lot of votes. Martin speaks with a panel of journalists about whether these issues will enter the conversation over the next four years.

Voters have been bombarded by political ads, but some topics have gotten very little attention this election season. Host Michel Martin speaks with a panel of journalists about some of this election's hidden issues. She speaks with NPR's Marilyn Geewax, Jennifer Ludden, and David Schaper, as well as The Washington Post's Melinda Henneberger.