Super Tuesday Starts Super Early In Some States

Been waiting with bated breath for some new developments in the respective races for the presidential nomination? Wait no longer! Super Tuesday gets off to an early morning start. The polls will be open bright and early along the East Coast, from Georgia to Massachusetts. But the earliest voting of all will be in Vermont, where some polls open as early as 5 a.m. ET. You can bet the news trucks will be up and at 'em, covering the early risers' march to their local polling places. Nothing says patriotism more than donning a "just voted" sticker at the crack of dawn.

Virginia follows a close second with polling just outside the nation's capital beginning at 6 a.m. ET. The rest of the easternmost states' polls open at 7 a.m. ET, clearly benefiting morning people the most. You should expect to be bombarded with news about the candidates, the voters, and even the polling places during the morning news shows on all networks as well as 24-hour news cable channels. That's not to mention the commercial breaks. The polls in states in the Central Time Zone open between 8 and 8:30 ET, and the caucuses — in Minnesota, Colorado, and Alaska — won't begin until evening.

Most of the states are leaning either toward Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton, although there hasn't been much reliable polling. Nationwide, the gap between the candidates has shrunken. Who wins which state won't matter as much in the Democratic contest, because the delegates are allocated proportionally, and there are no winner-takes-all rules, or vote thresholds that will affect either candidate — unlike in the GOP race.

On the Republican side, Trump is ahead in most of the Super Tuesday races, as well as nationwide in the polls. What hasn't been decided — at least among Cruz and Rubio — is whether it's a make-it-or-break-it day for deciding who ends up going against Trump. Cruz has said it matters. "Super Tuesday, I believe will be the single most important day of this entire presidential election," he said in Houston. Marco Rubio, meanwhile, says that March 15 is when the candidates — and himself in particular — need to start winning the states.

One thing to watch for in the early morning hours? Coverage of John Kasich's supporters in Vermont. There's some thought that the Ohio governor could perform well there after coming in second place in neighboring New Hampshire. So set your alarm clock and prepare the coffee pot — it's nearly Super Tuesday.

Believe it or not, both primaries and caucuses can be laugh-out-loud hilarious. Don't believe us? Have a listen to Bustle's "The Chat Room" podcast...

Image: Caroline Wurtzel/Bustle