ABSTRACT
In the second half of the twentieth century, with the rise of television, Americans developed an expectation that at the end of Election Day-after dinner and after the polls closed-they could turn on their television sets and watch the returns come in. Doing so became something of a national ritual, akin to watching the Super Bowl, particularly in presidential elections. Perhaps watching America’s athletes in the summer Olympics would be a better analogy, as these games occur on the same quadrennial cycle as presidential elections.
