Election Expert, ElectionLine.org
Election expert at the Pew Center on the States' ElectionLine.org
PROFILE
Doug Chapin
Guest
FROM Doug Chapin
To the Point
Election Day Headaches Are Starting Early This Year John McCain and Barack Obama are back on the road with less than a day left in a campaign that's lasted the better part of two years. In a year of extraordinary political developments, one of the big stories is early voting, designed to make the process accessible to more voters and easier on election officials when there's a heavy turnout. Early voters have been standing in line for hours, and tomorrow's turnout may swamp election officials all over the country. Charges of fraud, intimidation and intentional disenfranchisement are already being raised. If the voting is close, legal challenges will delay the results. We hear about new rules and first-time voters, ID checks and provisional ballots, malicious rumors and fears that all the votes won't be counted.
To the Point
Voter Suppression, Voter Fraud and Dirty Tricks With the presidential election just weeks away, both parties have lined up thousands of lawyers. They're preparing for a massive crush of new voters, new voting machines and new rules designed to avoid the kinds of controversies that are still raging over the outcomes in 2000 and 2004. But in battleground states, including Florida and Ohio, disputes are already under way. This year's election is so close there could be a tie in the Electoral College . At best, the massive registration of new voters will mean long lines, equipment failures and confusion that could keep thousands from voting. Meantime, Republicans warn about voter fraud and Democrats worry that the young, poor and elderly could be systematically disenfranchised. We hear how trying to make things better could be making them worse.
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