Civics 101 is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

But as you can see on this map, there are a number of undecided states of the Democrats in Pennsylvania,

a little concerned about Sarah Palin's...

When we're talking about political parties, we tend to talk a lot about election night, right?

Right.

And there's this moment that I think is the most exciting, and it's where they've got this giant map in the studio,

and there's an empty silhouette of a state, and then it flickers, and it snaps either red or blue.

Yeah, that's when you as a political person, your heart either rises or sinks, right?

When you see a state go for one candidate or another.

Do you know when that started?

Red states, blue states?

Have we not had that for like, forever, for decades and decades?

Right here on the face on me.

This is from election night, 1980.

Electural votes.

And so we will put on our map in blue for those of you who are watching in color.

We'll make Florida our projected winner for Reagan.

Blue for Reagan?

This is 1980.

Yeah, hold on, check this out.

The color of those in now, red across the Western Rim, the Pacific Rim of the United States,

for Bill Clinton, and just a few blue spots on that map for George Bush.

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