PHILADELPHIA -- The University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government has organized a new poll watching project to track election-day voter turnout in dozens of key precincts in Philadelphia.  The captured data will be announced and analyzed on WPHT Radio, providing the first-ever analysis of the Philadelphia mayor's race in real time.

"ElectionWatch" is a collaboration between Fels, WPHT and Voterlink Data Corporation.  On Nov. 4, Fels graduate students will fan out to 50 voting precincts to collect voter-turnout data.  The students will call in hourly vote counts to an interactive voice-response computer system designed by Voterlink.  

WPHT radio station, 1210-AM, will report the most up-to-date data hourly starting at 7 a.m. when morning-show host Michael Smerconish kicks off the station's election coverage.  Turnout data will be posted at www.politicspa.com throughout the day, and Fels will prepare post-race analysis.

Unfolding election data from this year's mayoral race between John Street and Sam Katz will be compared to data collected from the 1999 Street-Katz contest.

Christopher Patusky, Fels Institute ElectionWatch project director, said that capturing and processing the data in real time rather than after the polls close -- will elevate election-news coverage beyond informed speculation.

"While the data will not allow conclusions regarding the outcome, it will provide grist for analysis throughout the day," Patusky said. "Anyone interested in Philadelphia politics can track the ElectionWatch hour-by-hour reports."