Polls Open: Election Day in Montana

Well, today’s the day. After two years of campaigning – for the presidential hopefuls, at least – voters across the country are expected to swamp polling places in record-setting numbers.

While all eyes will be fixed on the race between Barack Obama and John McCain, and talking heads explain why Virginia, Colorado and, yes, Montana matter, there is also handful of local races that could be chock full of drama.

We will be updating flatheadbeacon.com throughout the day and night, posting election results as they become available. Dan and I will also be blogging at Continental Divides as votes come in, and we encourage you to send us anything you deem newsworthy.

If you haven’t voted yet, find your polling place here.

To see where local candidates stand on the issues that matter to you, check out the Beacon’s election guide.

To get up-to-the-minute election results from across the state, log on to the Secretary of State Office's Web site after polls close at 8 p.m.

Watching the returns on television? The Associated Press pieced together this hour-by-hour guide.

We hope you stay up late with us. And, if you haven’t already, go vote.