I would never go on a forum in England and try to tell Brits why the inhabitants of Leeds vote a certain way because I've never been there, so what makes it OK for you to try and tell me how people might vote in Alabama or South Dakota???
I'm American, but I find it interesting that you would raise this point. Definitely, having lived in or been to a certain place is a benefit for predicting voting patterns. But I think one can still make an educated guess otherwise. Even among the American posters, I bet very few (if any) have been to all 50 states. But both Americans and Europeans are capable of researching information before predicting the voting results.
