Early Vote Ohio 2008 by Kristin Wolff, Some Rights Reserved
As I've mentioned before, I have a bit of a bet with Brad Friedman, a passionate election integrity advocate. I think we've settled on the following bet, that we'll have a clear outcome in the presidential election on 5 November.
Even before Election Day, it looks like I might have lost already. I was just scanning the front page of the Columbus Dispatch this morning, and spotted this headline: Whoever wins Ohio may have to wait.
As a result of concerns about the reliability of touch-screens and long lines at the polls, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner ordered Franklin County and the 52 other counties using the electronic machines to make paper ballots available on Election Day.
The paper ballots will be counted only after votes from the electronic machines are tallied, which means that we might not have a result until early on Wednesday if then.
I still might be able to win the bet, but Ohio is also one state where legal challenges could play a role. Brad believes that Republicans will have no qualms unleashing their teams of lawyers and challenging the vote.
I think that the Republicans challenge the vote at their peril if the margin of victory is greater than four years ago here in Ohio, a little more than 2%. The Republican Party already is loathed because President George Bush is one of the least popular presidents in US history, and the party is blamed for much of the economic mess right now. However, I should I add the following qualification to that: The Democratic Party shouldn't engage in too much schadenfreude; the party is a close second in terms of loathing. If the Republicans sue and are seen as Sore Losermen, they might have to wander in the political wilderness even longer than is expected now. Neither party should underestimate how pissed off voters are.
