A few things that aren't so positive. Public mistrust of the media has been catalyzed by the quintessential display of competitive fear--an election night mistake with political agency. I'm not sure whether journalistic decision-makers will actually adhere to any self-imposed guidelines to not report election results until polls close (or until votes are counted). Competition and the Internet might make that unfeasable. Would you force yourself to wait until 8 p.m. to see who wins Florida in 2004 if it was already posted on Slate.com or The Drudge Report?
Other bad things: the legitimacy of U.S. think-tankers monitoring elections overseas will be diminished. "Chad" jokes will proliferate far beyond humor boundaries. And the 2004 election won't be nearly as exciting.