Sabato's 'Crystal Ball' Presentation Scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 2

Nov. 1, 2006 -- Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, will host the annual Crystal Ball presentation on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 12:30 p.m. in the Newcomb Hall theatre on the U.Va. Grounds. The presentation, “Sabato’s Crystal Ball: The 2006 Midterm Midday Matinee,” is free and open to the public and members of the media are invited to attend; consistent with the matinee theme, free popcorn will be available to audience members. 
 
On Election Day, the Center for Politics will be assisting various media organizations with election night coverage. Sabato will serve as co-anchor of BBC America and BBC International for the network's primetime national and international coverage of election results from the studios in Washington, D.C., and will provide commentary throughout the evening and the following day for CBS Radio and FoxNews. BBC World and BBC America reach more than 280 million homes worldwide. The BBC election night special will air live on BBC America via PBS, BBC World, News24 and BBC1.

 "We are very pleased about the role that the Center for Politics will play on election night 2006. A typical midterm election in the United States rarely succeeds in capturing a great deal of interest among the American public, but there is nothing typical about 2006," said Ken Stroupe, chief of staff of the U.Va. Center for Politics. "Given the international implications and the manner in which both major political parties in America have positioned their respective candidates for Congress, this promises to be a very exciting night.  All indications suggest that the results of this election will be followed closely, not only by the American public, but also by people throughout the entire world."
 
Other senior staff at the Center for Politics have accepted offers from various state and local media outlets to assist with election night coverage. Joshua Scott, director of programs, is scheduled to be on set at 10 p.m and 11 p.m. with WVIR and Matt Smyth, CFP communications director will serve as an analyst for CBS affiliate WCAV during its 11 p.m. newscast.  The Center for Politics will operate on extended office hours Tuesday, Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. until midnight where staff may be reached by phone at (434) 243-8468.
 
Sabato's Crystal Ball, a service of the U.Va. Center for Politics, is available at www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/. Generally updated weekly, the Crystal Ball will follow a modified election schedule with updates on Thursday, Nov. 2; Monday, Nov. 6; and Thursday, Nov. 9.
 
Sabato is the founder and executive director of the U.Va. Center for Politics and is the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia. Sabato received his doctorate in politics from Oxford University and was elected Lecturer in Politics at New College, Oxford where he served as an instructor in the Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) program. He joined the faculty at the University of Virginia in September 1978.

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