If Paul Ryan doesn’t win his vice-presidential bid this year, he’s got a back-up plan. He’s also on the ballot in his home state of Wisconsin for re-election to the House of Representatives. The San Francisco Chronicle has the story.

Durham, N.C. -- Derek Lee, a father of two, had an interesting approach to voting as the family ventured out to the polls today, "I told my daughters two things I liked about each presidential candidate and let them decide who I should vote for. It's their future just as much as it is mine." Families have been a common sight in poll lines as kids accompanied parents into the voting booths.

“White people—white men in particular—are for Mitt Romney,” writes Slate’s Tom Scocca.

The NewsHour has just started its special election broadcast. Watch on your local PBS channel or on our livestream online. Here’s a guide to our election coverage.

PHILADELPHIA -- Turnout in the predominantly Democratic city is high, but so are tensions. Poll watcher Lynette Stewart says she'll be glad when her shift at the polls is over.

"One guy came out and hit the Romney sign with his cane," said Stewart. "And I didn’t expect that at all. But people are very uptight.”

Our special election guide:

Tonight, the co-anchor duo of Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff will be joined by a cast of analysts including NewsHour regulars syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks.

Jeffrey Brown will talk throughout the night with Stuart Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report and political editor Christina Bellantoni about what the exit polls are saying about the presidential race, and key House, Senate and gubernatorial races.

They'll also be joined in the special NewsHour election studio by historians Michael Beschloss and Richard Norton Smith.

Senior correspondents Ray Suarez and Margaret Warner will report from President Obama's campaign headquarters in Chicago and Republican challenger Mitt Romney's headquarters in Boston, respectively.

And correspondent Hari Sreenivasan will offer a deep dive into data through our Vote 2012 Map Center. He'll also talk to PBS stations in the battlegrounds and states with competitive down-ticket races, including Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.

WASHINGTON -- Happy Election Day, everyone. I'm Dave Gustafson, reporting from Washington, D.C. I'm a reporter for the Public Insight Network and Patchwork Nation. Previously, I was acting managing editor for the NewsHour's website and a cops reporter for newspapers in West Virginia and South Carolina. My job largely involves interviewing a bright, diverse and engaged array of PIN sources who sign up to help journalists better understand what's really happening in their lives and communities. I'll share some of their insight on the election tonight. -- @DaveGustafson

Crucial to Obama’s campaign was the early April-May attack on Romney - “the Bain attack, the ‘he doesn’t get you attack,’” says David Brooks.

Expect some states to be called just minutes after some polls close in just about 40 minutes. Polls in Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia close at 7 p.m.

Polls in Ohio, North Carolina, and West Virginia close at 7:30 p.m.