Final thoughts

This election has been a privilege to cover. A country where 90 percent of people think things are on the wrong track could have turned away from politics, lost faith in itself and its system of governance. But instead America has taken its democratic duty more seriously than ever this year.

The latest predictions I’m hearing for turnout is 64 percent. This would exceed the 63 percent turnout in the 1960 Kennedy v. Nixon race and be the highest since 1908; this in a year where already a record number of people have donated to the candidates and where more people watched the convention speeches than ever before.

Whatever the result tonight—and the exit polls look very good for Obama—this election has been a wonderful example of how democracies can renew themselves.