THE ISSUE: Election Day

OUR OPINION: After long campaign, don’t let the voting process dissuade you from being heard

The pollsters say John McCain will win South Carolina in today’s election but lose the national vote.

Democrat Barack Obama has all but been declared the winner in a campaign that has set records for candidate endurance. It seems like years since the first-in-the-nation presidential debate in Orangeburg in spring 2007. Don’t assume the pollsters are on target. The real poll comes with today’s voting – and there are factors that could impact the outcome.

South Carolina and other states are seeing unprecedented numbers of voters participate. Last week and even on Saturday, lines of people waiting to cast absentee ballots were outside the county administration building on Amelia Street. In Columbia, voters waited four hours to cast ballots at the Richland County Administration Center.

People want their voices heard in this election.

But how many will brave long lines on Tuesday? How long will people be willing to wait? Supporters of which candidate will be the most patient? The answers are crucial in determining who wins the day here and around the country.

There also is the matter of people telling the truth to pollsters. What an individual says publicly and how the person votes in the privacy of the booth can be very different matters. In that regard, much has been made of race and how it could impact the outcome. The so-called “Bradley factor” has it that a percentage of white people who otherwise would be expected to vote Democratic will not support Obama because he is African-American. Even Obama himself in an appearance on Comedy Central made fun of the situation, joking with the host that because he had a white mother, he himself could be torn in the same regard.

It didn’t happen in the primaries, where Obama had large-scale white support. But that is among voters in Democratic contests. What happens today with white voters will be crucial if Obama is to win, and in some cases it would not take a large anti-Obama vote to change the outcome.

Equally, there is the impact of African-American voters. They are expected to vote in record-setting numbers, a factor that could boost Obama’s totals even higher than pollsters indicate. In states such as South Carolina, the vote could change the outcome of other races as well. Democrats believe they have a chance to win the day even in this normally Republican state. If longtime GOP winners in major races were facing stiffer challengers, the probability of impact would be even greater.

Nationwide, the turnout could have a major effect on how Congress looks in the coming two years. The House Democratic majority is expected to grow. And in the Senate, Democrats openly admit the target is to hold 60 seats, providing enough votes to cut off filibusters and move the Democratic agenda rapidly.

The decisions made on this Nov. 4 will have long-range impact. There are major differences between the approaches of the two presidential candidates and their parties. Whether the winner is Obama or McCain, change is certain. Be a part of making the decision. Don’t be dissuaded by the difficulty of the voting process on this busy day. Cast your ballot.

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