Earlier in the live blog, Lee Drutman wrote about rising partisan animosity. And while reducing partisan polarization is a huge topic, I do suspect that election night can exacerbate it. Here's why: One well-known aspect of animosity toward other groups is perceiving those groups to be monolithic, rather than recognizing that they are made up of individuals with varying motivations. Election night encourages this tendency, as people only see the numbers of votes for the other side, and not the individuals casting those ballots.
That's one of the reasons I always leave exit polling more upbeat about American democracy: Talking to specific voters on their way out of the polls reminds me that there are people and stories behind the numbers.