Find your Inner Geek

Are you bombarded by election information? Are you sitting in front of your TV or computer screen not knowing which races to watch, or what the numbers really mean?

You may want to check out neuroscience professor Sam Wang’s “Geek’s Guide, Election 2008” featured on the Princeton Election Consortium website (elections.princeton.edu).

Wang’s cheat sheet provides an overview of how each state is leaning and a list of which contests to watch most closely.

In addition to predictions, the guide lists potential “canaries in the coalmine” that would provide early indications of how the race is likely to end up. For example, Wang explains that if Obama wins Georgia or North Carolina, this would foretell a landslide in his favor. On the other hand, if McCain wins Virginia or Ohio, the race will be closer than the polls indicated.

The document urges you to “find your inner geek!” with lists of statistics and close races to watch. Check it out!

- Senior Writer Reilly Kiernan '10