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Google: Election Day Searches Show Passion Of The People

Yesterday, Google offered us insight as to what Americans were searching for during the presidential election. High on the list were searches for results at the state level, and, oddly enough, a movie about Adolf Hitler.

Yesterday, Google offered us insight as to what Americans were searching for during the presidential election. High on the list were searches for results at the state level, and, oddly enough, a movie about Adolf Hitler.At 6 p.m., Americans were highly interested in the election. Google says that, "Eighty-seven out of 100 of the fastest-rising terms on Google Hot Trends are still election-related. Since polls are now winding down in the Eastern time zone, people are seeking more info on [voter turnout], [who is ahead in the polls], and other outcomes."

In California, people were interested in the outcome of Proposition 8, an initiative regarding marriage rights for homosexuals. In Chicago, searchers were seeking information regarding the schedule of Chicago's public transportation system.


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By midnight, the picture was different.

According to Google, "If we count the search queries relating to the commercial breaks on election night TV coverage, the entire list of the 100 fastest-rising terms on Google Hot Trends reflect a passion about today's events. As polls closed and the presidential race was called after 11 pm EST for [president Obama], people searched for outcomes on state races of interest."

High on the list was CNN's use of holographic technology to report the election results.

Interestingly, Americans' interest in politics stretched into entertainment as well. Google noted that two of the top 100 searches were for movies about political figures. The first was for the movie "Valkyrie," a tale about an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. The other was a movie about Richard Nixon's 1977 TV interview with David Frost.

Last up on the list were searches for jokes about our president-elect, Barack Obama.


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