The world has been holding its breath to see how Americans vote. Would they choose to stay on the same path and elect John McCain, a Republican, or would they choose to vote for change and for new policies, and elect Barack Obama? With the USA the only real superpower in the world, whoever they choose affects us all.

This election is probably one of the most exciting ones in recent times. Record amounts have been spent on the campaigns (the Republicans have spent just under $200m while the Democrats have spent just under $400m) and record numbers of Americans are expected to vote. Many commentators are focusing on what happens in the "swing states" (states that could go either way) of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania

Apart from the intense media coverage, the internet has also played a huge part in these elections. Some have called this the "YouTube election", but other applications (such as Twitter) are demonstrating the power of networking. Tens of thousands of Twitter users can report their experiences of voting, providing an early warning system of any problems.

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