Ahh the old days - when results were brought out by the auditor at one hour intervals from 8 to 11 p.m. and the Courthouse lobby was packed with hundreds. KGMI would broadcast live. And over the years, different organizations would try live TV broadcasting from the lobby. In 1995, Barry Bowen and I set up a computer in the lobby connected to the Internet by a phone line and posted the results in real time. This was viewed by others as if we had been dressed in Martian suits and were playing banjos. But it was the first live posting of election results to the internet in the state as far as we know. Yes, it was on NWCitizen. 

Times have changed. Now the auditor only puts out one results sheet at about 8:20 p.m. and closes up shop for the night. The lobby is empty. Candidates are all at their selected pubs, while their supporters are refreshing their smart phones or iPads waiting for the auditor's results. With this one post, the rest of the evening is devoted to speculation of how close votes might change with later in the week results. Lost is the ability for media to talk with different candidates in the lobby. And for political junkies to meet on neutral ground.

And so we fumble for new ways to bring some analysis and community to this process. On Tuesday evening, the pubs and those at home will have three venues to select from for analysis. There may be more - and I invite comments below this post to inform us of any others.

First, Riley Sweeney will again be live blogging on his website - Sweeney Politics. Riley will be seeking out candidates, taking their photos, then posting and typing his observations. You can read his post from Sunday where he explains this in greater detail. He is scheduled to travel to different venues.

A new website - New Media LIVE - will feature Sam Taylor hosting and interviewing guests. Yes, Sam the former Bellingham Herald reporter. This is being produced by a new local group named The Center for New Media and will involve, according to their news release, about 40 people helping to make this work This show starts at 7:15 and continues on into the late evening. It will be live video on the Internet, which should work great.

Finally, KGMI radio will have Dillon Honcoop hosting with 2 or 3 panelists, one of which is yours truly. I'm looking forward to our contacting candidates by cell phone and getting their thoughts. And Dillon is trying for other panelists to be of different political persuasions than myself so we can have a discussion from different perspectives. It starts at 8 pm and runs until 10 pm. At which time I will head to some winning candidate's party for a drink. The losing candidates will have gone home by then.  

For those in pubs and candidate gatherings, it will be interesting to see which, if any, are preferred. And which can even be received because of wi-fi challenges. Riley's should be the most bomb proof as you can refresh a web page. Sam's should work great where there is good wi-fi - and very poorly with a slow connection. Dillon's radio can be heard on most any radio, and from the KGMI website.  We are all experimenting with the changing times. Maybe next year I'll be in a position to try something on this website.