What's The Election Look Like In Your Town?

This presidential election is unprecedented. Gazillions of dollars are being spent on advertising, campaign materials, volunteer efforts, rallies, and - in the case of the McCain campaign - clothing and makeup. Hundreds of thousands of people - if not millions - are donating time and energy.

So, what does the presidential election really look like in your community?

We need you to do a photoessay about the election in your town. Take 10 photos of the small and grand that show HuffPost's OffTheBus readers what the election looks like where you live. Maybe there's a street corner where the signs block views of oncoming traffic. Maybe your local convenience store now sells McCain and Obama coffee cups. Maybe canvassers outnumber shoppers in your local mall on the weekend.

We took a brisk walk around our SoHo neighborhood and found shops getting in on the debate with some fancy window dressing.

• • • • • Obama masks adorn mannequins in a SoHo shop

Now it's your turn:

* Crop and resize your photos to 300x230.

* Write captions for each photo. Make sure that your captions make sense of the photos for someone who does not live in your town or state.

* Send your photos to campaigntrail AT huffingtonpost.com. Put PHOTO ESSAY in the subject line. Include a headshot and brief bio if you have not been published at OffTheBus before.

DEADLINE: Wednesday, October 29

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Comments

[ohsaydidyousee]

After living in Palm Beach County, home of the now infamous butterfly ballot I have watched with great appreciation a communities resolve to right the wrongs of elections past. The dreadful diebold touch screen voting systems are gone, thank you Charlie Christ, and the politics of fear has been replaced with the politics of hope, thank you Senator Obama.

In 2000 after I handed my ballot to an election worker, I watched her review my ballot and tear something off the bottom of the card before dropping it in the ballot box. I don't think my vote was counted. In 2004 I waited in line for 8 painfully long hours to cast my vote. The people who surrounded me were angy motivated mostly Bush supporters who turned the scenery into a Bush rally with tailgate parties, honking horns, balloons and intimidating loudspeakers. And in 2008 I voted early. It was a long line that moved quickly. A diverse crowd of subdued elderly, young, white, Latino, and African American people. Missing was the angry motivated right wing influence.

The political landscape has changed in South Florida. I only hope and pray that the election system has changed enough so that we will have a fair election for the first time in nearly a decade. Florida it appears has gotten it's act together. If Ohio can do the same, there is a good chance than America can get it's act together as well!

[Amalek]

I think many of the angry ones will just stay home and drink this year.

[MyGuyO]

Living in the great state of Arizona one would never know there was an election going on. Nothing happens here. Neither candidate visits here. Oh, there was one time when Senator McCain had a small write-up in the local paper...he visited a small coffee shop in downtown PHX...No press coverage at all. The story was printed after the fact about a week later. I think Obama visited here once? Even though the Arizona Republic newspaper just endorsed Senator McCain today, there is hardly any mention of him in the papers. When there is, the articles are printed on page 14 or at the end. Strange. Our TV stations never mention McCain, hardly ever.

[xdr]

Bright blue spot, People's Republic of Boulder, in a hopefully-­soon-not-t­o-be red state Colorado. Clearly a lot more signs for Obama around town and campus, the question is how much more is enough to counter other red parts of Colorado? Fingers crossed.

[Grannysue]

I'm in SE Idaho, Mormanville, where the Bishop tells the trolls who to vote for, of course GOP, these people only watch FAUX NEWS and listen to people like Rush Limbaugh! There have been a good deal of new people moving in the past few years from California and Nevada etc., but this State will go Red again sadly. An elderly lady put an Obama sign on her lawn and had a Swatizka spray painted on it. That's what they do here, they line up like sheep for the Morman Church and GOP, can't listen to any other point of view and then go pray they will be able to feed there dozen kids! I swear they must be putting something in the water, at least Northern Idaho and some of the outter SW and upper SE cities seem to be moving towards the center more but it's going to take some kind of intervention before these idiots get a clue. Obama/Biden

[Fremon]

Don't look for them to change. Like the southern baptists, the mormons won't change. Do we call that the real america. Sad.

[pbley68]

The masks in the Soho shop look more like Tricky Dicky Nixon than Obama.

[DrBillo]

my city is located in ultra conservative Western Michigan--these people here are born republicans who can't name a thing the GOP has ever done for them--the rich get richer and they pay their three dollars for gas and 5 dollars for smokes and think life is wonderful-­--unfortun­ately,they don't pay--they charge!---the amazing thing is for the first time in the 40 years I've been here,Democratic signs for Obama are to be seen in all types of urban,suburban and rural areas of West Michigan---to me it is a sure sign of a big Obama victory on the 4th--this is the first time I can say the times they are a changing here--of course the loco gossip sheet,the Grand Rapids Press kowtows to the Amway people and endorses McCain, but no one pays attention to them anyway!!!

[LMurphy418]

I live in the Red part of a Blue state. Early voting today and yesterday was very high. I voted today and found many Obama supporters in line. I was very surprised. I truly believe people are disgusted with the present conditions and that a McCain win would continue this downward spiral.

Forget the drama, Vote Obama!

[VOTER]

I like your line, "Forget the drama, Vote Obama!"

Kudos!

[LMurphy418]

Thanks!

[olephart]

Living in small town rural Georgia may not be indicative of the United States as a whole. We are a little behind the times. From what I have observed, the majority of people here support William Jennings Bryan over McKinley. They especially don’t like that Roosevelt fellow from New York.

[kkuchenb]

LOL!

[rodhemeon]

our town a three ring circus....­....yarmou­thelection­2008.angel­fire.com

[captnEarl]

In my little community Gloucester Va. (eastern Va. Chespeake Bay) my 2 yard signs and 1 other are the only ones on my road which is about 3 miles long. Obama does have and extremely active campaign office in our county that is staffed by young and old and hundreds of vols. This is an area comprised of mostly right winger one issue voters you know the kind!

[barriosbabe]

Not many yard signs around. People are very reserved. My non-liberal acquaintances in town all say they are voting for Obama. Pockets of die hard Evangelicals who interestingly do not put out McCain yard signs, talk anti-abortion if pushed, and rally around a few local wingnuts - Danny Carroll, for one, running on a platform to make divorce illegal. Oskaloosa, Iowa

[Amydan48]

I took my 2 kids with me to vote today in Cleveland. The line snaked around the board of elections, then once inside, the line snaked around again. Many folks came after church toting their bibles and singing hymnals in line. Several people were videotaping us but we did not see any news organizations. There were a lot of elderly people on walkers, in wheelchairs, and on canes who had the most patient, determined look on their weathered faces; the young complained but not the elderly. I also saw a brand new baby whose mother was still wearing her hospital band. Today I voted for my parents who are no longer here and I voted for my kids. Then we went across the street and got our
Jay Z and LaBron James' concert tickets for the rally here on Wednesday. God Bless America!

[Joeblue]

Small town in Washington state- right wing, yellow rag that rarely publishes Democratic party views. The columists are all right wingers. Letter writers with a moderate or progressive view are hammered for two or three following weeks with no chance of giving a rebuttle.

[wagthedog1001]

Same thing here in small town Colorado.

[ADVOCATE4ZPG]

This is why most, "Murkan," small towns are so loathsome to anyone with sentient or creative impulses, and almost ubiquitously to the offspring, who generally move away. This "small town" mentality is desperate to keep up with the econ. MORES of the "city" while remaining oblivious to the basis of the process that creates PROGRESS......

[CaDeb]

Saw the posts about Northern Cali - wish I were back there. I'm in Central CA - small Navy Town-the Bible Belt of CA. Lots of McCain signs - virtually no Obama signs. On local blogs it's about 5/1 McCain. Ongoing spreading of Palinspeak.

This area is one of the few in CA which will go to McCain. I'm 50 and I guess I naively thought racism was a goner, but not here and the fact that they freely speak it means (to me at least) that they feel IF it's tolerated at rallies, they can talk that way too - McCain/Palin gave them license.

They have taken the overtone of the them/us rhetoric and thoroughly agree with Bachmann - if you aren't with us, you're a socialist or better yet, marxist and because you speak up for Obama you're anti-patriotic and of course many of the outspoken military (former and current enlistees) boast that the only reason they tolerate us is because this is America, otherwise we'd be thrown out with the trash.

It's rather depressing being in the middle of it. And, it scares me to think of a McCain/Palin win. I've been around enough to see the Dems give it up right at the finish line and find this year I am a more active democrat than ever before in my voting life.

This site, provides me solace in those dark moments surrounded by the Republicans in this area.

[barriosbabe]

Fresno area?

[CaDeb]

Yea, Fresno area - Lemoore/Hanford. Lemoore Naval base is here and Lemoore is retired Navy.

[LITU]

Eastern Washington - the new Nebraska. These people would cut off their nose to spite their face.