Westward Momentum, While Stuck in Traffic

<div class="mini gray">Illustration by: Matt Mahurin</div>

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<p>When it comes to national elections, the major television networks have made a democracy-friendly deal. Even if they know who the big winner is, they don&rsquo;t announce it until polls have closed across the country.</p>

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<p>But Bill Carrick, a longtime&nbsp;Democratic strategist who lives in Los Angeles, Calif., worries that no such collective pause will be in effect during Tuesday&rsquo;s near-national primary. &ldquo;What happens when you&rsquo;re headed to vote, stuck in traffic on the 101 in the San Fernando Valley,&rdquo; and election returns from other states start coming across your radio?</p>

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&ldquo;There&rsquo;s going to be a lot of news moving west while our polls are still open,&rdquo; Carrick said, potentially making voters think they&rsquo;re vote isn&rsquo;t really needed.</p>

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<p>It&rsquo;s a good point. But it makes my head hurt to try to think through who this might help and who it might hurt. Any thoughts?&nbsp;</p>