Polls, Predictions About the Ohio Presidential Winner

Columbus, Ohio -- According to today's Columbus Dispatch, the newspaper declared "Obama expands Ohio lead, could win in landslide." The article states that Obama has a 14-point lead according to the Quinnipiac University poll. However, the prudent and most accurate choice for those who favor headlines and polls as guides would be "McCain, Obama running tight race." This Associated Press headline shows the candidates virtually even citing each in the forty percentile with approximately a ten point "undecided" margin.

I don't know about you but to me some polls feel like the predictions of fortune tellers-- by far too general to be specific. I wonder if a real "Pre-Cog" would sign in an opinion for this presidential race.

While the average voter this election season may have become familiar with the concept of the State of Ohio as a swing state, there is still one "wild card" that Ohio holds for Election 2008. Professor Edward "Ned" Foley, director of Election Law @ Moritz at Ohio State University and others have suggested that Election Night 2008 could be a "mess" in Ohio creating a delay in correctly declaring the winner of Ohio's presidential elections.

For those who follow the national election process closely--on September 17, Republicans sued Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner after she issued a memorandum to local boards of election instructing them to reject allegedly flawed absentee ballot applications. (Check Ohio State University's Election Law site for additional details) Since the mailing and the law suit, the politicial arena in Ohio has been tense with experts in election law being engaged.

As the conversation continues to address 200,000 mismatches in new (2008) voter registrations statewide, many local election offices remain in the dark about handling the specifics. Couple that dilemma with the increased use of absentee ballots and Ohio could cause a glitch in Election night results.

So let's hope for the landslide in Ohio to save America the aggravation of waiting days, weeks for this year's presidential election results.

Sources:

Darrel Rowland, "Obama Expands Ohio Lead, Could Win in Landslide." Columbus Dispatch.

Liz Sidoti, "McCain, Obama running tight race." Associated Press appearing the Columbus Dispatch.

Mark Niquette, "Election Night May Be a Mess." Columbus Dispatch.

Nathan Cemenska, "Analysis: Ohio "Check-Box" Lawsuit." Ohio State University @ Election Law At Moritz.