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Tampa Bay Area Will Be Key

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By TED JACKOVICS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 4, 2008

5:51 a.m.: All Right! It's here. If there weren't enough Election Day excitement after two years of campaign buildup, NBC political analyst Chuck Todd ensured that today would be plenty dramatic.

In one of his final accounts Monday night, Todd called Florida one of four states, along with North Carolina, Virginia and Ohio, whose presidential election outcomes would be early determinants of the race between Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain.

Then Todd used a fancy device to illustrate on camera the most telling voting places in Florida.

He drew circles around Miami, Orlando and the Interstate 4 corridor through Tampa to St. Petersburg. He noted Jacksonville and a stretch across the Panhandle east from Tallahassee. Lots of territory.

Finally, Todd drew another circle around Tampa and St. Petersburg and declared that Hillsborough and Pinellas counties would be the places to tell the story of Election Day in Florida. I'm thinking he meant nationwide, too.

We'll see.

So, it's time to leave home in Palm Harbor, drive east across the election battleground, and check out what's going to take place today at the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Election Office on Falkenburg Road.

Election officials intend to use space they usually designate for the news media as a place the officials will count absentee ballots, so I'm preparing to work from the lobby. Got to find Falkenburg Road and get there first.

Drive safely, everyone.

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