BREVITAS

OUTLYING PRECINCTS

Las Vegas Review Journal - Analysts have predicted that new voters, young voters and Hispanic voters will turn out in record numbers in this election. But as Nevadans continue to flock to the polls, turnout among those three groups is lagging, at least in the early going. While turnout statewide was nearly 25 percent through Sunday, it was just 20 percent among Hispanic voters, 14 percent among voters under 30 and 15 percent among those who didn't vote in the last three elections, according to an analysis of state early voting records through Sunday prepared by America Votes, an organization that works to mobilize voters. . . Traditionally, older people, whites and people who vote consistently tend to turn out at the highest rates overall, said David Damore, a political scientist at UNLV. But this year, much has been made of the idea that the youth vote, the Hispanic vote and first-time voters would turn out at unprecedented rates, galvanized by a heightened political climate and the candidacy of Democratic nominee Barack Obama. "I would have expected those numbers to be a little higher," Damore said. "At the same time, the people who come out for early voting may tend to be the tried and true."

Alan H. Fleischmann, National Review - There are important differences between "American Idol" and our constitutional American system. "Idol" is a direct democracy, for one. (And, like in Chicago of yore, "Idol" watchers can vote as often as they desire.) But, at the end of the day, they are both about voting. And as much as some might scoff at the deleterious effects of "Idol" on our culture, it has created a culture of voting among our young people. Where past generations of youth might have felt cynically about their ability to affect change, the millions of "Idol" voters can see the palpable impact of their vote--live in prime time and with Ryan Seacrest as their Walter Cronkite. With "Idol," voting becomes a habit, something done week after week, season after season. Votes are taken seriously, discussed at length at the water cooler, on Facebook, and on blogs. . .

OK, I won't make such extravagant claims on behalf of the 35 percent of "Idol" viewers who once told pollsters that they considered their votes to be as or more significant than their votes for president. And I'll admit that I was a momentarily disheartened when Taylor Hicks won more votes (63 million) than, say, Ronald Reagan (54.5 million in 1984). But, hey, we're now prepared to reap the rewards of this democratic education, with the youth vote finally fulfilling its promise.

Howard Zinn now says he's voting for Nader. The famous historian lives in Massachusetts, where Obama is ahead by 20 points. Zinn created a stir earlier when he said he was voting for Obama But Zinn e-mailed the Nader campaign that he made a mistake and now says he will vote for Nader. And Zinn urges all people of conscience to vote for the true progressive in slam dunk states. Zinn says that in non slam dunk states, he urges people to vote for Obama.

AFP - According to independent analysis website Real Clear Politics, which accumulates multiple polling data, Nader is holding 2.5 percent support nationwide. Barr enjoys 1.3 percent support, and the other candidates all average below one percent support.

Politico - Obama spokesman Bill Burton confirms Drudge's report that two right-leaning papers, the Washington Times and the New York Post, have lost their seats on the Obama plane, along with the Dallas Morning News. . . The Post and the Morning News are both read primarily in states that aren't in play, but the Washington Times is read in Northern Virginia. . . Burton said the campaign was making space for the dropped outlets on the campaign bus where possible, and that they were encouraged to travel with Senator Joe Biden. He also noted that Fox News, whose schedule includes perhaps the most openly hostile programming to Obama, has a seat on the plane.

Reuters - Californians appear poised to support the right to same-sex marriage when they go to the polls on Tuesday but support for a ballot measure to ban the practice has increased in recent weeks, a poll showed on Friday. The latest Field Poll conducted from October 18 to Tuesday showed the proposed ban on same-sex marriage failing, with 49 percent opposing the ban and 44 supporting it. Opposition to the ban was stronger in September, when 55 percent opposed it and 38 percent supported it.

WATCHING THE COUNT

Brad Blog - A federal court has found in favor of the NAACP and the Election Reform Network, which were forced to sue [Pennsylvania's] Democratic Secretary of the Commonwealth, Pedro A. Cortes, after his recent directive that emergency paper ballots only need to be given to the voters in the event that all of a precinct's touch-screen voting machines failed. Most of PA uses 100% unverifiable touch-screen voting systems, and many of them broke down across the state during last April's primary election, leaving untold numbers of voters unable to cast votes.

State law allows county clerks to give out paper ballots if just one machine breaks down on Election Day; Cortes' stunning decree, issued last month, went unchallenged by both the DNC and the Barack Obama campaign...

The lawsuit called for emergency paper ballots to be issued in the event that a majority or more [machines] broke down.."

NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME WATCH

Pardon Watch - Keith Koffler writes for Roll Call: "President Bush has three months left to issue his final round of pardons, a process that could bring him to consider whether to forgive a list of administration officials, soldiers and operatives engaged in the war on terror -- and even just-convicted Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). . . . "Much speculation has centered on whether Bush will pardon Vice President Cheney's former aide Scooter Libby, convicted of obstruction of justice in the federal investigation of the leak of former CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity. . . ."Bush could -- in the manner of President Gerald Ford's pardon of President Richard Nixon -- decide to issue preemptive pardons for crimes that may have been committed in some cases."

Gilbert Cranberg blogs for NiemanWatchdog.org: "As George W. Bush prepares to exit the White House, are more preemptive pardons on the way? The press ought not wait to be presented with a fait accompli but should be asking hard questions now: 'Mr. President are you planning to pardon any of the people responsible for carrying out your administration's interrogation policies?'

ECO CLIPS

Daily Green - Recently there was a meeting of European and U.S. Scientists studying colony collapse disorder held in London. . . . Unexplained colony deaths this past season, coupled with an extraordinarily poor honey crop in the U.K. this year led Max Watkins, the technical director at Vita to call the meeting, and to explore further what is going on. Even though poor weather certainly had something to do with the situation, in Max's words "an array of unexplained research findings indicates a more sinister and long-term challenge.". . . "Investigations are underway across the globe and many suspects and accomplices are under suspicion – viruses once of little consequence are now becoming more prominent killers, but a clear pattern is elusive. One novel line of enquiry in Israel is focusing on 'gene silencing' in an attempt to suppress the expression of bee viruses in the honey bee genome," Max summed up.

FURTHERMORE. . . .

NY Post - A Queens woman is suing a Rockefeller Center bar where she was allegedly tossed around by a rampaging mechanical bull . . . In papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Rachel Love says she's "been rendered unable to perform [her] normal activities" since her run-in with the bull at Johnny Utah's. Love, 30, went to the Western-themed nightspot Jan. 31, and, "inebriated," decided to take a turn on the bull, the suit says. The ride went south when the bull operator "caused the actions of the mechanical bull to become more violent in an effort to throw the plaintiff off said bull," the suit says. . . The suit charges the restaurant with "allowing . . . an inebriated individual to . . . ride the mechanical bull." Love's litigation is a virtual carbon copy of a suit filed against the bar last month by Aaron Schnore, who says he was drunk when he was bucked off the bull.

Great moments in conflation: CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story conflated two non-existent audio tapes of Michelle Obama. - Politico