It is sad. And it is despicable. The Democrats, starting with that Al Gore fiasco in Florida in 2000, are threatening the public trust in the electoral process. It is a good thing that process had a little light shone on it--for too long the deceased voter block and the other irregularities had gone unexamined. The ironic thing is that most of these irregularities were in the cities--the urban strongholds of the Democrats! So they are ones who should talk about electoral shenanigans.

The last minute surge of support for the GOP is normal. It seems to happen every year in the polls. I have heard it explained as undecided voters who were willing to consider voting Democrat for whatever reason, but who, when they take a good look at that alternative, decide that the Republicans are the safer choice in the end.

It was interesting listening to the news this morning.  Both sides have attorneys in all 50 states watching closely and ready to press legal challenges.  Democracy via the courtroom!   That's what the founding fathers really wanted.  Well maybe at least Jefferson because he was an evil womanizing slave holder! 

I hate how when electing judges, if they are incumbent, they still get to retain their seat simply by the fact they may not have any opponent running or the only ones that are running are the ones who are up for election back to the same judgeships. That makes the electoral process a mere formality for career judges. The only judgeships I voted on this time were the ones that had opponents, and then I voted for the opponent and not the incumbent. Judges do not need to feel they are entitled to careers on the bench.

You Constitution Party folks will be pleased... I voted for several US Tax Payers Party members for several non-policy, law making positions... State Board of Education, and various Regents of State Universities. That is the name of your party here in Michigan, isn't it? Unfortunately, I don't think we (the Republicans) will be successful in removing the Democratic incumbant Governor and Democratic incumbant US Senator up for election. Michigan is too much like the US in the regards of a couple geographic areas have far too great influence as opposed to the bulk of the land. Detroit and Flint are our California / Pacific Coast and New England... Outside of those two areas, the state is pretty red, but because they are so Democrat, it makes the whole state look blue.

There was some twit (could tell he was like 18 years old) up in front of me by several people in the line to apply to vote (have to "apply" before they will give you the ballet... just a fancy name and process for making sure you are on the precinct's registered voter list) who was trying to find out how or if there was any paper backup to prove you voted the way you really did. It is not like we have computer voting here. We have a paper ballot that you have to fill in like a scan tron sheet. Almost idiot proof unless you don't know what Yes and No mean or that the oval by the name is the oval for that candidate... Anyway, he was all concerned because that paper ballot (which has is numbered, and the number of the ballot gets recorded next to the voter on the rolls) gets feed through an electronic reader to count the votes and the voter doesn't get the ballot back or a receipt acknowledging the vote was counted... the machine simply clicks up to the next incremental number on the votes tallied display. I'm thinking... ah duh... the machine holds all the ballots in the sealed ballot box that is enclosed in the machine, so if anything were to happen, they can manually count, and since they have the ballot numbers registered to the voters and the ballot stub sequentially (based on when turned in, not ballot number) included in a another binder, then in theory, they should be able to get pretty reasonably close to an individual's paper ballot in the ballot box should there be any irregularities...

Oh, and if you aren't a registered voter in the precinct, I don't think you even are eligible to "apply" to vote, let alone get a ballot...