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

[Pantelleria01]

Ciao Everyone. I am an American Indian who married a Italian woman several years ago and we live on a tiny island in the Mediterranean Sea, called Pantelleria. It is a very ancient, tiny, historic island called "the daughter of the wind" by the Arabic people, only 50 miles from Africa.

Everyone here, as in everyone, is pulling for Obama without question. There are only 2 Americans on this island. they question me and examine me closely with their eyes and ask who I am for. When I tell them Obama they act so relieved. There is no photos to show you of the Obama support, but way out here in the tiny island life everyone is for Obama and i would be in trouble if they thought I was for for mccain. It is very charming and interesting. Best regards.

[AnalyzeIT]

Thanks for that lovely report.

Best to you and your wife..... live long and prosper.

[Seeitmyway]

Ciao Pantelleria!
It is so wonderful to hear about the support we have from other nations. Please know that we are very aware (and very embarrassed) of the reputation the US has garnered throughout the world these past 8 years and that we, the people, are doing everything we can to elect a president that the world can be proud of.

Tanti grazie!

[beantowner]

I wish I could participate in this effort, but there's little to report from my little podunk town in the middle-of-nowhere, Arizona. There's only one home in the neighborhood displaying a McCain/Palin sign, but that sign has been moved around in the yard three times since I first saw it (when it was prominently displayed), and it's now effectively hidden by trees. Perhaps the homeowner's support is waning?

By contrast, my house and yard are fully adorned with my support for Obama (two lawn signs, a rally sign in the front window, homemade Obama logos made with fabric paint attached to my house, and Obama stickers all over my mailbox at the roadside. I even made an Obama logo "saddle" for my dog to wear when we take walks. The conversations that have ensued with a few locals have been, let's say, "interesting." I would dearly love to see AZ turn blue this year, but I have my doubts.

Otherwise, I don't see any support here for either presidential candidate. I'm proud to express my full support of Obama, but it's okay by me if others would rather keep their opinions to themselves. (Although I wouldn't mind if most of the McSame supporters simply forget to vote this year.) ;-)

[lee4]

Thank you for sharing that!

[Trucker777]

Peachtree City, GA (Twenty miles south of Atlanta)

Unlike 2004, many Fayette County. GA voters have decided the Democrats offer a future without hate and polarization for the United States and will cast their votes for Obama as President and Jim Martin to replace the despicable Saxby Chambliss (R). Too many people remember how Chambliss called Max Cleland, a Vietnam Veteran and triple amputee, an un-american. Chambliss' voting record supporting Bush is enough to make a sane person sick to their stomach. He is running the same type of hate campaign against Jim Martin that he ran against Max Cleland.

Racial hate and religion still motivate many to support the Republicans. There's no logical way to breach the wall they have built around themselves in order to have a rational discussion.

They will also return the do-nothing Congressman, Lynn Westmoreland to the House of Representatives. How many will remember his inability to remember the Ten Commandments on national television even though he has built his whole campaign around god and family. It's for sure he has never done anything that should qualify him to represent the people of the 3rd District in Georgia. Bush, Big Oil, the Insurance Industry, and Corporations are his only reasons for being in office.

Hate and religion. What a way to make a decision on the most important office on this planet.

[Fremon]

Thank you. I have never thought much good about the south and especially Georgia/Miss/Louisiana. Seems all the ones I have met in both NYC and Liberal CA have been low information rednecks and racists. As a Naval Officer in the 60's the biggest problems I had seem to come from the southern boys. Never understood what religion has done to make them better people. Thank you for advising a different side to the south.

[levibatgirl]

I love it!

Great idea!

[HHarvey]

I live in Northern California and you can pretty much guess by the majority who we support, even had a fundraiser that Senator Obama attended here. There are only two McCain/Palin yard signs in my town and they are both in front of run down apartment buildings, the million dollar homes have Obama signs. Weird huh?

[Stoppassingthebuck]

I live in Nor Cal as well. I was handing out rally information in downtown Menlo Park today and I would say that 90% of the people that walked by told me that are voting for Barack.

[Slapmewhenitsover]

When you get just outside of Metro Atlanta (west I-20) it gets pretty red. However, those truly hurting, regardless of how religious, know that they need something new to prevent them from losing their homes and jobs.

They are actually less racist than in northern part of the country, which is an ironic twist.

It's a mess everywhere apparently, and I think people are really tired of the Bush approach, so McCain is looking very weak, although there are still some Klingons.

[JoyIsGwenNYC]

Oooh!! I partied at BBar last tuesday. Thats where the last photo is taken :)

[boringwithhats]

The election in my bodunk little town still focuses on how Obama is black/Muslim/the anti-christ/whatever incoherent argument they can formulate while not focusing on the real issues of the campaign. It's amazing.

[Chaucea]

*comforting hug*

Yeah... there are some folks in my small town in Colorado who are so hateful and unthoughtful/unthinking. It's frustrating.

But keep your chin up, cuz you've got us here at HuffPost that you can vent to and together we can keep hope alive! :-)

[boringwithhats]

I have hope that one day people will realize there's no white America, or a black America, or a Latino America or an Asian America, but there is the United States of America.

[AnAmericanWoman]

keep the faith... 2 years from now, they will see how blessed we really are by having him as our nation's hero.

[kellygrrrl]

sadly, some never will. They have been brainwashed.

[kellygrrrl]

hey, I live in So Cal., and some people here in LA County and Orange County are that narrow and enraged. There is really nothing you can say to comfort them.

[KoreanVet]

Hey, I live in Eastern Tenn., and you wouldn't believe the animosity espoused toward Obama by the the inmates.

[EarthToZoey]

That last picture gives me chill bumps.

[char982]

in a good way, i hope...

[kellygrrrl]

:)