BBC NEWS | The Reporters

Determined to vote

Gavin Hewitt
23 Oct 08, 01:39 AM GMT

So the numbers chosing early voting are large. Early in the week in Broward County the figures were significantly up on four years ago. By now close to 200,000 people have voted. Some officials think that by election day 40% of voters in Florida will have been to the polling stations.

What this indicates to me is that American voters, this time around, are highly motivated. Turn-out should be up. The expectation in Florida is that 80% of registered voters will vote. It is hard to be certain who that benefits. But the Democrats have been more successful in registering new voters. It also means that a significant number of Americans are voting at a time Barack Obama is 8% ahead in the polls. For many the election is not on 4 November but now.

But what about the "hanging chad" shadow? Quite a few Democrats still believe the 2000 election was stolen. They tell you that not every vote was counted. Sometimes - at an Obama rally - when an activist is explaining the law and how voters should not be deterred by polling officials there is a cry from the crowd "Not this time!"
The Democrats seem highly organised to contest any attempts to challenge registered voters.

The Republicans too are suspicious. I sat in today at a Republican meeting at a country club in Palm Beach. Sid Dinerstein, along with almost everyone there, believes that ACORN, a community-based organisation, is committing massive fraud. Several people there told me that Democrats were bribing voters were offers of food or signing up bogus people. They believe, too, there is a danger of the election being stolen.

So, once again, the lawyers are on hand in Florida. Yet today I felt again the pulse of this extraordinary campaign: a nation in crisis determined to vote.

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1. At 05:52am on 23 Oct 2008, blue_american wrote:
I live in Germany, I cast my ballot last week. Here's hoping for an Obama presidency!

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2. At 06:06am on 23 Oct 2008, immortalsofar wrote:
Also, unlike the voting machines, absentee ballots leave a paper trail.

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3. At 06:16am on 23 Oct 2008, shangpied wrote:
The polarisation of this election is remarkable.

Most Democrats seem to think the world will end if the Republicans win.

Most Rublicans think the world will end if the Democrats win.

There seems to be very little cross-over respect for the other party's candidates and party-line.

I personally think either party would do an OK job, and both presidential candidates are good choices.

Clearly however the Republican camp has had some terrible advice, firstly on their negative, hate/fear inducing campaign, and secondly on the appointment of Palin as VP.

On the other hand the Democrats have, like Obama, played it cool.

However, when you consider the current lack of popularity in the current Republican administration, the fact that their candidate is still expected to get 40-50% of the vote just shows how many people are willing to stick with the "devil they know".

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4. At 06:17am on 23 Oct 2008, vshieldsash wrote:
think about this for one minute. he's black, this country is racist. he's got a muslim middle name, we are bombing the muslims.
this is one really dangerous situation for this man. he's much braver than i'll ever be.
ash

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5. At 06:54am on 23 Oct 2008, mrbuzz59 wrote:
The Republicans are trying to sell fear, the Democrats , hope. Who would you respond to?

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6. At 08:06am on 23 Oct 2008, kennyslim28 wrote:
Yes! #1 is correct. I live in Nigeria and I have already cast my vote for the first black American president, Barack Obama. He is a man on whose shoulders rest the hope of US.

As for the people been determined to vote and defend it, it's a sure sign of victory for the Democrats, considering how reportedly the 2000 election in the US was stolen and handed over to George Bush and denying Al Gore that opportunity to succeed Clinton.

Now, the disenchanted electorate of 2000, those still alive anyway, are determined to get fresh voters registered so that they could reclaim their mandate. Like Gavin stated, the election is not on November 4. It has long begun.

And Gavin, you decided to keep us waiting in apprehension when you didn't write yesterday. I thought perhaps you had been attacked by the republicans for your cut clear reportage. But thank goodness, you are safe.

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7. At 08:09am on 23 Oct 2008, bobwmac wrote:
For the past year, my wife has tried to arrange an absentee vote from our Scottish address - but the electoral authority has insisted in sending every piece of correspondence to our old NM address, even an acknowledgement that we were no longer resident there.

Last week her ballot paper arrived - in New Mexico.

How New Mexico is that?

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8. At 08:28am on 23 Oct 2008, filmnoirfan wrote:
I voted last week; it's a very simple process.

As a longtime expatriate (and resident of Tokyo), I am tired of seeing America's image spiral downward due to the disastrous policies of the Bush administration. I am hopeful that Obama will win and make me proud to be an American again.

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9. At 08:47am on 23 Oct 2008, sepdet wrote:
Some of us feel the 2004 election was suspect as well -- Google "Ohio 2004 election" for info.

You've characterized well the frustration, cynicism, and concerns on both sides, Mr Hewitt.

I'm worried. But the one thing that's made me happy in this election -- besides the fact that I really appreciate Mr. Obama managing to break through my cynicism enough to get me to hope again (at least a little) -- is that Americans are EAGER to vote. I don't know why, but for most of my thirtysomething life, people haven't been engaged enough in politics, and many don't vote.

This time, they're voting. There may be some voting irregularities, but my hope is the vast numbers turning out for this election will reduce the significance of those irregularities to nothing. Whereas in the 2000 election, it really did come down to a few hundred votes in Florida -- and just this week CNN reported another 3500 uncounted ballots discovered in a Florida warehouse.

This time, hopefully, the numbers will be far enough apart that even with the accusations of fraud, the courts and most Americans will know in their heart of hearts who "really" won.

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10. At 09:18am on 23 Oct 2008, Wintercity wrote:
"think about this for one minute. he's black, this country is racist. he's got a muslim middle name, we are bombing the muslims.
this is one really dangerous situation for this man. he's much braver than i'll ever be."

Sigh.

Yes, some people in America are racist. Some people in China are racist. Some people in UK are racist...you get the idea.

BUT--loads of white voters support Obama. Loads of Christian voters support Obama (and it is generally known that he is a Christian, despite the media attention to a few idiotic comments). And get this--I'm a white, female, non-Christian Independent and I still support Obama.

Ugly generalizations and stereotypes are what we should be fighting, not aiding and abetting. The polls are showing that most people support a message of hope over a message of fear. I think that says a lot.

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11. At 09:49am on 23 Oct 2008, davemison wrote:
Across America you have always had the blue states, the red states and the swing states. but Florida is one of the true 'melting pot' areas of America. I have lived in Ft lauderdale for 15 years and in that time have met very few Florida natives. Add to that the cosmopolitian south of the states with the redneck north and the fact that some areas, the size of Cardiff, have so few year round residents that they have trouble being officially recognised as a city.
This all adds up to a volatile state that will continue to swing for years to come.

PS. Gavin, Gavin Gavin... there is only one 'W' in Broward County. :-)

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12. At 09:58am on 23 Oct 2008, U9238686 wrote:
I'm British but I recognise this election as one of the most important of my lifetime. Never before have the results from another nation had the ability to impact on my, our lives to such an extent.

I appreciate you may think it is none of my business but with a brother fighting in Iraq and as a citizen of a dangerous and unstable world assisted in it's formation by the Bush admin I fee like I have the right to say VOTE OBAMA!!!

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13. At 09:59am on 23 Oct 2008, Pancha_Chandra wrote:
America is at a critical juncture: whether to continue eight years of economic malaise, lack of positive leadership or vote for whole-hearted change where all sections of society, rich or poor take their responsibilities in a concerted way to make America a real leader of nations again. Obama is a breath of fresh air signifying that vital push for real necessary change. McCain represents the old stale policies which have brought America to its nadir in the domestic and international arenas. Obama is the new JFK, passionate and determined to restore America's true greatness with the right priorities for the rich and poor alike.

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14. At 10:17am on 23 Oct 2008, starbarista wrote:
Don't forget that in America we don't vote for a candidate. We cast our vote for electors for a particular candidate. This is how a candidate can lose the popular vote and still become president. This is not very democratic - in fact it was a system implemented so the elite could keep a check on the masses and keep the riff raff out of the White House. It harks back to the Prince Electors of the Holy Roman whose role was to 'elect' the new emperor. It kinda reminds me of the Bush dynasty.

Check out this blog post to see pictures of an absentee ballot from New Jersey.
http://iambrianjones.blogspot.com/2008/10/i-voted-today.html

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15. At 10:19am on 23 Oct 2008, rbmerganser wrote:
I am getting many emails from extended family across America saying that they have voted. Reasons for early voting range from intended travel to vague concerns that something may come up Nov 4. They want to be sure their votes get in. I want to vote election day and feel the buzz at the polls, but I live in a small town and it is always easy to vote. My daughter in college changed her registration from our true blue state to a swing state so that she her vote would count.

Much excitement not only for the Presidential election, but also for how this is bringing out the vote and how they many newly registered and recently enthusiastic will effect local elections.

Susan in farm country, New York

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16. At 10:23am on 23 Oct 2008, ambermarie7 wrote:
Speaking of early voting, I've been working on my ballot for the past four hours. This will be my first time voting in the presidential elections; last elections I had barely turned 18, lived in Ecuador, and had no idea that I could do mail in. Policies of the following four years inspired a sort of disdain for my own country as I spent much time abroad and recognized so many shortcomings of American life in general. I had made up my mind that as soon as I graduated, I would get the heck out of the country and only come back to visit my family on occasional holidays.
These elections, perhaps in an effort to redeem myself for my past mistake, I found my candidate early on and threw myself full fledged into the Obama campaign, canvassing door to door in the rain, and arguing with old men who patronized my young judgement and called Obama a "rockstar for you kids", only to have AZ lose in the primaries. We were disappointed to say the least... but hey, we won our region, and we won by surprising margins! We were hopeful; hopeful for the elections, hopeful for the nation, hopeful in general. As hope overcame my cynicism, I realized I may not be proud of everything my country does, and regarding certain issues, I cant stress that enough, but I am proud of what it can be with some change, and that's enough to make me proud to be an American, especially if I can be a catalyst for that change simply by connecting two sides of a black arrow. I think many of my peers feel the same way. We're just so excited for these elections and the difference we can make!
Well, I'm still leaving the country to join the Peace Corps for a bit, but for the first time, I'm actually excited to come home, and maybe even stay a while. Hey, maybe I'll even see about getting into politics... :)

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17. At 10:29am on 23 Oct 2008, nevstic wrote:
Thankyou Mr McCain for bringing in Mrs Palin
She will lose you the election, yippee.

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18. At 10:40am on 23 Oct 2008, greekchica wrote:
Voting from London. COME ON OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN!!!

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19. At 10:41am on 23 Oct 2008, greekchica wrote:
Voting from London! Come on OBAMA & JOE BIDEN!

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20. At 10:44am on 23 Oct 2008, happybrian123 wrote:
I would love to cast my vote in favour of McCain but being English I can only cheer him on from the side lines. The Americans will come to their senses and vote for stability. MCCAIN FOR PRESIDENT! Peace!

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21. At 11:05am on 23 Oct 2008, U9238686 wrote:
The Republicans have shown they can bring alot, like war, poverty and recession.

How stable do you think America is feeling right now?

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22. At 11:12am on 23 Oct 2008, nomorefakenews wrote:
WAKE UP GAVIN!!!!!!!

IT DOES NOT MATTER WHICH ACTOR "WINS" THE SO CALLED ELECTION....

THE "NORTH AMERICAN UNION" WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS..

CANADA..USA AND MEXICO WILL JOIN TOGERTHER IN A UNION WITH A NEW CURRENCY...THE AMERO...

ALL MANUFACTURED TO HAPPEN MANY,MANY YEARS AGO....

I CANNOT WAIT FOR YOU TO SAY THE WORDS...

"NORTH AMERICAN UNION"

"NEW CURRENCY"

REMEMBER WE LIVE IN A SCRIPTED AGENDA!!
WILL THE MODERATER POST THIS, ARE PEOPLE BECOMING WORRIED BY MY POSTS AS THE UNION COMES CLOSER TO HAPPENING?

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23. At 11:17am on 23 Oct 2008, bonetoolmagyar wrote:
I mailed my absentee ballot from Budapest last week - hopefully ensuring an Obama win in Pennsylvania!

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24. At 11:21am on 23 Oct 2008, schnide wrote:
"The Republicans are trying to sell fear, the Democrats, hope."

mrbuzz59 - you just put in ten words what I've been trying to say for the past two months. I commend you (and also Obama and his Democrats for their approach in this election).

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25. At 11:36am on 23 Oct 2008, U9238686
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
26. At 12:00pm on 23 Oct 2008, Y_K_Hui wrote:
Let's be precise and concise. What is more important -- to vote or to vote intelligently?

If you agree you need to vote intelligently, would you read this:

http://www.ldsmag.com/ideas/081017light.html

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27. At 12:24pm on 23 Oct 2008, RomeStu wrote:
#22 nomorefakenews.
"ALL MANUFACTURED TO HAPPEN MANY,MANY YEARS AGO....
I CANNOT WAIT FOR YOU TO SAY THE WORDS...
"NORTH AMERICAN UNION"
"NEW CURRENCY"
REMEMBER WE LIVE IN A SCRIPTED AGENDA!!

Are you going to offer any evidence to back up your claims?
Or must we just take your word for it.

Manufactured many years ago .... scripted agenda. What planet are you on?

Are you a believer in pre-destiny? And do you have a hotline to whatever God you may believe in to get this information?

I am very open-minded so please enlighten me .... but with evidence and rational argument, not CAPITAL LETTERS (I'm not blind).

Peace and fate

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28. At 12:35pm on 23 Oct 2008, U9238686 wrote:
Who are you to say whether someone has voted intelligently? If someone wants to vote based on whose suit they like better then so be it.

To vote at all is more important as the result will then reflect what a far wider section of the population want. Whether they want to vote for the right reasons or not is irrelevent.

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29. At 12:44pm on 23 Oct 2008, RomeStu wrote:
#22 nomorefakenews

At the risk of giving you the impression that your views have any serious relevance I clicked on your username to see you recent posts on this and other BBC blogs ..... and guess what?

Yes, we have Mr Cut and Paste blogger, with one unsubstantiated drum to bang, and no actual point to make.

2 questions for you

1) do you know how to turn your CAPSLOCK off

2) why would the North American Union be a bad thing? It might shift the balance of power slightly, and you wouldn't have to build that fence at the bottom of Texas.

oh and one more ... how many Ameros would I get for 1 Euro?

Peace and unification

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30. At 1:06pm on 23 Oct 2008, GlobalTemplar wrote:
I'm British with American friends, all I can say is forget Bush and his administration its gone and McCain would do things his way regardless of the republican tag.
However, all those jumping for joy with Obama's warm words will not doubt feel,very sorry for themselves in 4yrs time, because just like Blair and Brown the leftie policies sound good in their policy meeting, when translated into the nation they wreck the local culture, impose high costs on the many with benefits for the pampered welfare few and leave the nation angry, upset and looking for its identity again having been robbed by a liberal thinker who has not regard for your history or culture....alarmist, perhaps, but the Uk is close to breaking point fter 10yrs of Labour here people are leaving the nation and the sharp devide between people is higher than ever, worn down, over taxed and very unhappy, the US should take a look at this and think carefully.....war hero, straight talker and hard worker or 4yrs of politics, liberal thinking, socialist policies and slick slogans with no heart felt meaning behind them, I think McCain has done well to be where he is, he will also make a superb president of the USA and be a good friend to the British people through the tough times ahead.

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31. At 1:33pm on 23 Oct 2008, divealdo wrote:
Since the USA is the self proclaimed 'leader of the free world' and I am a UK citizen, maybe it's time the entire 'free world' got a vote.

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32. At 2:14pm on 23 Oct 2008, lucypdx wrote:
In the state of Oregon we all vote by mail. No hanging chad or malfunctioning voting machines. I have voted already. I am confident I have voted for the next President of the U.S.

Line one of column - chosing?
Might be British usage with which I am not familiar...

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33. At 2:15pm on 23 Oct 2008, padav01 wrote:
shangpied: "The polarisation of this election is remarkable.

Most Democrats seem to think the world will end if the Republicans win.

Most Rublicans think the world will end if the Democrats win.

There seems to be very little cross-over respect for the other party's candidates and party-line."

I think you can blame a certain George Bush Jnr for this dramatic polarisation of views.

I seem to recall George Bush making bold claims during the 2000 election campaign that he would be a caring President - that he would (if elected) make genuine and serious attempts to initiate policies incorporating "Democrat" concerns and principles.

The hard reality was something very different - the most right wing, dogma driven and reactionary Presidency in living memory.

People haven't forgotten this reality and they have also seen how the bankrupt rhetoric and policies of the Bush Presidency have brought the entire world economy to the brink of meltdown, discredited the USA still further amongst the International Community (if that was indeed possible) and disenfranchised large elements of its domestic electorate.

The legacy of the Bush Jnr presidency will be relived (perhaps that should read reviled?) as a disaster story on an epic scale not only for the USA but for the entire human race!

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34. At 2:21pm on 23 Oct 2008, Michael32bc wrote:
America nor Canada would ever support that and I doubt Mexico would either.

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35. At 2:31pm on 23 Oct 2008, U9238686 wrote:
Well Global Templar, your previous posts are no different and you seem to talk alot but have nothing to say. Obvious daily mail reader.

You may have noticed that the US is a very different country with different values and different people so please don't bring your anti-labour ranting here as well.

A republican government with their constant pushing of "good christian values" is a key element of the bitterness and isolation felt by Americans today. Britain and the US may be falling apart but at least the British will vote Tory next time around.

However you are telling Americans that they should vote for more of the same?!? Why would you submit poor America to continue in that direction? McCain may be his own man but it is a party still run by the greedy oil magnates who supported Bush Snr, Bush Junior and will continue to dictate how McCain should run the States.

Go those living in poverty in New Orleans or those living in major cities who have had health care taken out of their financial reach and tell them they should give the Republicans another 4 years, see how far you get with them.

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36. At 4:03pm on 23 Oct 2008, finkyboy wrote:
Can anyone explain to me how the ACORN issue constitutes vote fraud? So they pay their operatives to register voters, and some bad apples hand in fake registrations to get more money.

The fake voters still need to actually vote to make any difference. I'd love to see Mickey Mouse show up at the polls to actually vote.

What we have here is registration fraud, not vote fraud. And it's all about the money, not about tipping the election, which would require an astounding level of coordination and stealth. Totally inconceivable.

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37. At 4:12pm on 23 Oct 2008, goulmike84 wrote:
Comment no. #9 from sepdet.

Some of us feel the 2004 election was suspect as well -- Google "Ohio 2004 election" for info.

I agree. I was in America during the last election - more precisely I was in Wisconsin, one of those states apparently too close to call - and I got the impression something wasn't quite right. Kerry did win Wisconsin, but overall Bush got the victory and I was left mystified because exit polls suggested he wasn't going to!

Then I recently came across this on the internet.

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10432334/was_the_2004_election_stolen

For all the fuss over the hanging chads of 2000, what happened in 2004 seems just as worrying - perhaps even more so - provided what RFK Jr says in this article is actually true!

Mr Hewitt, you say you felt "again the pulse of this extraordinary campaign: a nation in crisis determined to vote" but I felt that last time and what happened? However, unlike 4 years ago, Obama seems almost immune to the kind of Republican smear attacks that blighted Kerry and I'm pretty confident of a Democratic win. Especially if more and more people vote before election day itself, thus avoiding the fiasco of the last two elections.

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38. At 4:26pm on 23 Oct 2008, Gary_A_Hill wrote:
"starbarista"'s explanation (#14) of the reasons for the electoral college has a lot of "spin" in it. For a more objective explanation, read this:

http://www.uselectionatlas.org/INFORMATION/INFORMATION/electcollege_history.php

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39. At 4:44pm on 23 Oct 2008, chrischrismattmatt wrote:
Rome stu you have encountered the lower levels of intelligence more commonly found in puddles I think!

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40. At 5:01pm on 23 Oct 2008, jlarkin wrote:
I'm sure Mugabe of Zimbabwe will be able to give the republicans a few hints.

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41. At 5:28pm on 23 Oct 2008, Gary_A_Hill wrote:
goulmike84 (#37), here's another article on the 2004 Ohio election:

http://harpers.org/archive/2005/08/0080696

One astounding fact reported in this article is that the Secretary of State for Ohio was a co-chairman of the Bush/Cheney campaign!

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42. At 5:48pm on 23 Oct 2008, virtualsam__ wrote:
I personally am looking forward to the north (and central) american union. americans having access to as much maple syrup as they want may now be the only thing that can stabilise the economy.

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43. At 7:52pm on 23 Oct 2008, aquarizonagal wrote:
My whole family has already voted and we hold hope for Obama as our new president.

I live in McCain's own state and many will probably vote for him out of loyalty but on a local level, many more Democrats will most likely be elected.

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44. At 9:39pm on 23 Oct 2008, mightyAlbie38 wrote:
I am an American living in Valencia, Spain. I mailed my vote this morning. Hope it arrives in time as the postal service is not too reliable this side. Hoping for an Obama landslide!!!

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45. At 08:01am on 24 Oct 2008, rl wrote:
#26,

the person who wrote that article is wrong and an idiot. how can the democrats be predominantly blamed for passing legislation through congress when the republicans were in control of both chambres?

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46. At 11:24am on 24 Oct 2008, Triumph69 wrote:
#45

#26 has been posting this to various BBC blogs. Lets get it straight Orson Card is a fiction writer who is a comitted christian and although he says he is a democrat, he is at odds with Obama on many social issues. The overlong diatribe is very thick with references to rightwing blogs and websites, but very little from experienced objective independent observers. He completely misses the point that the republicans have been in the white house for 8 years, the majority of which they also controlled senate and or the House. But most of all he does not understand that fiscal policy is decided primarily by the tresurary that even Mr Greenspan admits that errors were made by him and his team in not keeping closer tabs on financial institutions - which is NOT the job for the Senate or House.

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47. At 11:27am on 24 Oct 2008, The Notting Hill Hammer wrote:
WAKE UP GAVIN!!!!!!!

IT DOES NOT MATTER WHICH ACTOR "WINS" THE SO CALLED ELECTION....

THE "NORTH AMERICAN UNION" WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS..

CANADA..USA AND MEXICO WILL JOIN TOGERTHER IN A UNION WITH A NEW CURRENCY...THE AMERO...

ALL MANUFACTURED TO HAPPEN MANY,MANY YEARS AGO....

I CANNOT WAIT FOR YOU TO SAY THE WORDS...

"NORTH AMERICAN UNION"

"NEW CURRENCY"

REMEMBER WE LIVE IN A SCRIPTED AGENDA!!
WILL THE MODERATER POST THIS, ARE PEOPLE BECOMING WORRIED BY MY POSTS AS THE UNION COMES CLOSER TO HAPPENING?

..............................

The only worry would be that you might damage yourself or others as you are clearly unhinged.

Conspiracy theories are very popular with the ignorant and the uneducated but they have no basis in fact. Although, wait a minute, is that a black helicopter above your home? RUN FOR THE HILLS

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48. At 3:15pm on 24 Oct 2008, aunty_pathy wrote:
I'm sorry, #43, you hope for Obama as the new president, but because McCain's home state is the same as yours, *you will vote for him*?

What the heck?

If you hope for Obama as the next president, vote for *him*!!!

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49. At 7:12pm on 24 Oct 2008, whinejunkie wrote:
To #26, Y_K_Hui:

If the subprime crisis was caused solely by the Democrats, and the Republicans? effects to correct it were blocked by the Democrats, then why has the Mc Cain team not used these facts in their campaign against the Democrats? The Mc Cain team must be either ignorant or stupid, or may be Mc Cain HIMSELF has a record of voting against regulating the subprime lending.

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50. At 10:33am on 25 Oct 2008, ukzoomie wrote:
As an American living in the UK, I really had to struggle this year to vote in the Presedential election.

New Mexico, my 'home' state has been so bad, I've wondered if it is by accident or design. I got an email absentee ballot with no problem, BUT the ballot has to be notorised. Not such a big problem in the USA, but in the UK, after visiting my family solicotor, discovered it would cost me �60 to have my signature notorised! I wrote Governor Bill Richardson and was given the NM Secretary of States telephone number. Boy, was that helpful...NOT.

The good news is, I found the most amazing group called the Overseas Vote Foundation https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/ downloaded a ballot, and it was received by the County Clerk in New Mexico - I got to vote.

Sure, it's just an election you may say...I had the same problem in 2000 and gave up. Net result- by 521 votes, George W. Bush became president for 8 years and we've seen a lot of good men and women come home from war in flag-draped coffins!

Vote and fight to do so!

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51. At 10:50am on 25 Oct 2008, mnikides wrote:
Am I the only one daily disappointed by the regular grammar and spelling mistakes in BBC articles? I mean, the bias we expect, but seriously. Are you not a reporter for a major news corporation? BBC standards are incredibly low.

So the numbers chosing early voting are large.

chosing=choosing

Early in the week in Broward County the figures were significantly up on four years ago.

up on four years ago=compared to four years ago

It is hard to be certain who that benefits. But the Democrats have been more successful in registering new voters.

It is hard to be certain who that benefits, but the Democrats have been more successful in registering new voters.

Several people there told me that Democrats were bribing voters were offers of food or signing up bogus people.

The second were=with

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52. At 12:33pm on 25 Oct 2008, AmericanSportFan wrote:
I plan on voting for Obama. I believe that a McCain Palin Presidency would be a disaster for this country. He're to hoping history is made come November 4th.

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53. At 5:38pm on 25 Oct 2008, aquarizonagal wrote:
To#48Auntypathy

You misunderstood my post. We, in my family, have all voted for Obama.

But some people who live in Arizona will vote for McCain out of loyalty and he will carry Arizona.

However, I believe that our local elections (representatives etc.) will be mostly Democrats.

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54. At 10:33pm on 25 Oct 2008, Belmons wrote:
Whether or not most Americans know it, or indeed most people on this forum, the voter fraud issue is a myth.
ACORN are supposedly registering fictitious voters. But registration is one thing, voting another. Over various states the "plot" would require thousands of people to vote more than once. Since this would be a felony, how much is being paid to all these folk, and by whom? Are the Democrats handing out false beards and fake noses, so sharp-eyed people at the polling stations don't remember a previous visit? It's on a par with those daft stories about the moon landing being a fake. Any one of the bribed multiple voters, whatever he or she were paid, could get vastly more by blowing the whistle and confessing to a big newspaper or TV network, not to mention that Holy Grail of Americans, becoming a celebrity. Yet not one of the thousands has done so. To believe this yarn, you'd have to be willing to believe the moon landing didn't happen and the World Trade Center was destroyed by the US government. Of course, many Americans do believe those things, which proves something - I'm too polite to suggest what.

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55. At 00:01am on 26 Oct 2008, LeeDittmann wrote:
Agreeing completely with Belmons, #54.

To which I'll add, for those who actually have a rational concern about voter fraud, this: In many states, voter registration groups are required by law to submit ALL registration forms, even the obviously phony ones. ACORN has said that it attempted to flag these latter kinds, and these are exactly the forms that have made it into the news.

Why would they be required to submit all forms? Probably so that no group can conduct campaign dirty tricks by trashing the registration forms of those new voters who are likely to be against the group's political views. After all, if your opponent's voters don't find out they are not really registered until it's too late, you could influence the election.

Rather than being evidence of a big "liberal" conspiracy to steal the election, the fact that ACORN turned in obviously false registration forms is evidence they are complying with the law.

Yes, it is also evidence that they need to tighten their vote registrar hiring practices, perhaps emphasizing the serious nature of false registrations, but that is a different issue.

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56. At 11:27am on 29 Oct 2008, thoughtsabroad wrote:
I to am from England and have to sit on the sidelines and wish I could put my 2 pence in happybrian123.

But the difference between you and I is that I don't think the American people need to come to their senses as they are already fully aware that the decisions they have been making are the best possible at this time.

John McCain is not stable at all!

He went on national tv and said that quote '' when mavericks get together they don't always see eye to eye...''

What kind of office will he be running if this is the way it is now!

Sarah Palin is not ready for the task at hand. Her own state paper says she's too risky.

I mean to make it even worse MCCAIN HIMSELF isn't even happy with his choice anymore!

Why on earth would you spend so much money on a brand new wardrode, make-up and hair at a time like this?

And then when the spending was publicised try to cover it up by saying you will go back into your own clothes once the campaign is over??? (By the way the campaign is still running and the clothes have changed already.)

Why not do that from the beginning??

You're supposed to start as you mean to go on and the way that these two are going on is not very good at all....for the Americans or the rest of the world who will easily be affected with the results of this election.

I think that Mr Obama is the way forward and he will be able to do something nobody ever thought was possible.

He may come across some things he thought he could do quicker or knows little about, but that's bound to happen.

It would also happen if Mccain was elected, but it would be worse as he has a rogue on his hands.....

I've said my peace and hope that the few people of America that are still thinking of the colour of Barrack Obamas skin is a reason to vote against him, realise that surviving this crisis is a lot bigger than a candidates ethnicity.

It's about who can get the job done and get things back on the up.......

For everybody

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57. At 09:31am on 30 Oct 2008, U9238686 wrote:
VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!!

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