One way or another, the network projections tonight are likely to be controversial. If John McCain wins, or comes very close, the big question will be: is the polling system broken? If Obama wins, in a way consistent with the fairly big margin the final polls are showing, the big question will be: how long can you hold off calling an election in the new-media age?
In the New York Times today, CBS has already said it may consider calling the election before polls close on the West Coast if enough states go one way early enough. But even if no networks do, what happens in a big electoral win? The nets aren’t the only ones with the information. Will we have news websites calling the election left and right while the networks exist in a parallel universe? If they avoid calling the election themselves, can they ignore the fact that other news outlets are calling it?
One more thing to think about today. In the meantime, Time’s Sean Gregory has a feature up explaining how the networks will make the call in the first place.