Chicago is no stranger to large crowds on election night. In 2008, an estimated 240,000 people gathered in Grant Park for the watch party as Obama and his family addressed the crowds after winning the election.
But this election, the game plan is a little different. The President and his private campaign party will be inside Chicago's McCormick Convention Center, leaving some supporters out in the cold.
This years' watch party will be held at 1.2 million square-foot Thompson Center plaza instead, right in the heart of downtown Chicago in The Loop. And since so many people, especially students, live and work in The Loop, many are expected to come out to show their support, making the 13 story, 160-foot rotunda an ideal place to host such a crowd.
In anticipation for the increase in people, Chicago has ramped up security and redirected traffic routes.