Mobile Devices, Social Networks Will Top Obama, Romney as Election’s Biggest Winner

With record voter turnout expected for today’s presidential election, millions of Americans will be closely watching the returns as they begin coming in this evening.

But mobile devices and social networks are poised to play a bigger role than television news in how Americans discover who their next president is going to be.

“Americans will change the channel from CNN and Fox news before they step away from their smartphone, Facebook, or Twitter tonight,” says independent business analyst and social media expert Mike Randazzo.

Randazzo tells MMW that tonight’s president election could lead to one of the biggest nights for mobile traffic and social network posts on record.

Regardless of the platforms through which most Americans will get their news, the first wave of poll closings will commence at 7 p.m. ET. Battleground states in this group of closings include Virginia, with Ohio following at 7:30 p.m.

“One of the first things I’ll look at are the margins in the northern Virginia suburbs closest to Washington, D.C., especially Prince William County,” says CNN chief national correspondent John King. “If Gov. Romney is ahead or at least in play there, it means Virginia is in play, and we could have a long competitive night…”

If so, you may want to charge your phones now.