On Aug. 2,1978, Illinois Congressman Philip Crane stepped before a bank of microphones and television cameras in Washington and became the first candidate to declare his hopes in the 1980 presidential election. From Crane's opening hurrah down to the final tumultuous hours, TIME has followed the candidates mile by mile through the longest and most arduous campaign in recent history. As always, the goal was to produce clear, perceptive and colorful coverage, an effort that culminates with this week's special election issue.

This edition went to press three days earlier than usual, meeting deadlines unparalleled in TIME history, and includes the magazine's first election coverage in color. To produce the issue, which has a total of 28 pages devoted to the campaign's climax, TIME assembled a special Election Night editorial force consisting of the regular Nation staff reinforced by editors, writers, reporter-researchers, artists, picture editors, copyreaders and other specialists from throughout the magazine. In addition, extra TV sets, video recorders and A.P. wire machines were installed at the magazine's New York offices.

In the field, TIME correspondents accompanied each of the major candidates as they cast ballots in their home states and settled in to watch the election returns on TV. Washington Bureau Chief Robert Ajemian, Congressional Correspondent Neil MacNeil and National Political Correspondent John Stacks joined the editors in New York to help analyze voting patterns, while bureaus across the country tracked the balloting in key states and important local contests. More than 30 photographers were assigned to cover the candidates and to capture America in the process of selecting a President. Chartered jets were used to fly their film to New York to meet the issue's timetable.

On election morning, as the candidates and millions of other Americans were voting, their fellow citizens at TIME made their own choices, then reported to the Time-Life Building for a long night's journey into day. By late Wednesday, TIME's most colorful and comprehensive election issue was ready to roll off the presses.

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