Personal Election Day traditions?

[Platypus]

I look at the last polls, make a final prediction of who wins what seats (I got 12 wrong last time...out of 150 ), wait around, make my parents get ALL the how-to-vote cards, read them, read the newspaper analysii (?), then watch the ABC telecast.

[Platypus]

If it's an American election I try to find people who care about it as much as I do to watch it... so 2000 was a bust... but I found Democrats abroad and hung out there for election returns.

For ours, I just sit at home with family and see how predictable yet another election will be.

Very early prediction: Libs 74/ALP 66/NAT 12/IND 2

More then likely right, too

[Platypus]

If it's an American election I try to find people who care about it as much as I do to watch it... so 2000 was a bust... but I found Democrats abroad and hung out there for election returns.

For ours, I just sit at home with family and see how predictable yet another election will be.

Very early prediction: Libs 74/ALP 66/NAT 12/IND 2

More then likely right, too

I know from a friend in the NSW Lib Council that polling is not great for them... but it's mostly in seats they don't already hold... I'm told they're anticipating a loss of 5-7 seats.

Lib: 72 ALP: 67 Nat: 13 Ind: 2 ... that could change... but I'm not expecting it to.

Who'd do better...Costello or Howard? Queensland and SA have the swing seats, and Howard would do better in QLD as a whole then Costello, but I think Costello might do better in swing seats as a general rule. I'd guess Howard would get up to2% more of the total vote nationwide, but wouldn't be surprised if in seat count it was the same, or even a slight Costello lean.

[Platypus]

Howard will always do better in more conservative/rural areas.

Costello should work better in the mortgage belt, which I think the election will be fought - if interest rates go up further... Many are just outside marginal status... but a swing wouldn't need to be huge or uniform.

Lab needs to win federal seats in QLD DESPERATELY...

Labor should focus on getting back the two seats they lost in Tasmania. It's a relatively cheap eway to gain two seats; it's much more expensive for an ad campaign in any other state, and the ground campaign would be about the same in time and cost. Also, Solomon in the NT which has the same benefits.

So that's three of the necessary 15 or so seats

The only likely place for many of those 15 seats is Queensland-many of the South Australian marginals are already ALP IIRC.

[Platypus]

They only lost those two seats because Latham and the Loggers declared war on each other.

More or less, although I remember during the campaign that Bass in particular was looking a bit shaky.

Michelle O'Byrne was a good member, btw.