Voting machine problems bedevil multiple states  —  Election machine glitches caused delays and jangled nerves in at least three states today as voters began turning out for midterm elections that could set the tone for the last two years of President Bush's term in office.

BEWARE OF EXIT POLLS  —  Biased And Inaccurate Predictions Have Led To Poor  —  GOP Exit Poll Showings In Past Three National Elections  — Election Experts Believe Exit Polls Give An Edge And Sway Towards Democrat Candidates.  — National Exit Polls Will Skew In Favor Of Democrats This Year …

FBI looking into possible Va. voter intimidation  —  Officials probing reports of phone calls allegedly intended to confuse voters … The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into the possibility of voter intimidation in the U.S. Senate race between Sen. George Allen, a Republican …

Repeat Robocalls Suck?  Blame the GOP  —  UPDATE: Laura Ingraham has asked her listeners to call the Dem Voter protection hotline — and they are now being flooded with calls from crank callers.  Please call Laura and tell her what you think about this: 800.876.4123.  You can e-mail her here.

New York Plans to Make Gender Personal Choice  —  Separating anatomy from what it means to be a man or a woman, New York City is moving forward with a plan to let people alter the sex on their birth certificate even if they have not had sex-change surgery.  —  Under the rule being considered …

"Absolutely True:" Rather Continues to Defend 60 Minutes TANG Story  —  Just moments ago on North Carolina's Morning News with Jack Boston on Raleigh-based News-Talk 680 WPTF, former CBS anchor Dan Rather defended the infamous 60 Minutes story using forged documents to attack President Bush's service …

Thank God I voted first  —  The Democrats may be poised to win the House, but their manifesto does not inspire confidence  —  What will a Democratic House of Representatives be like?  The Republicans have been painting a portrait of Democrats roasting children on a spit in the Capitol Rotunda.

Following the Election Returns  —  An hour-by-hour guide to tonight's results.  —  This year the networks say they are guarding their exit poll results as if they were crown jewels.  The results will be delivered to a "quarantine room," access to which will be granted to only two staffers …

Ortega Set To Reclaim Nicaraguan Presidency  —  Daniel Ortega, the former Marxist president and nemesis of President Ronald Reagan, appears to have won back Nicaragua's top job.  —  With 62 percent of precincts reporting, Ortega was comfortably leading the field of five presidential contenders …

Election Day Report: Difficulties no surprise to computer expert  —  Star report … 2:54 p.m. - IU computer expert says voting machine problems no surprise  —  The problems encountered across Indiana today with new electronic voting machines come as no surprise to computer security expert Steven Myers.

Franklin County phone system returns to service  —  Franklin County's phone system was returned to service about 90 minutes after it collapsed today under a crush of calls from voters and poll workers.  —  The volume of calls "overwhelmed the system," Franklin County Elections Director Matthew Damschroder said.

Voting nightmare: Democrats seek extension  —  Democratic party leaders are planning to seek a two-hour extension for voting in Denver, due to massive computer problems which have created long lines, and kept many from casting their vote.  —  Party spokesman Brian Mason said a motion is being prepared …

Olbermann: Where are the checks, balances?  —  Bush has been 'making it up' for too long, and the people have let him … MSNBC TV  —  We are, as every generation, inseparable from our own time.  —  Thus is our perspective, inevitably that of the explorer looking into the wrong end of the telescope.

Expecting Losses, State G.O.P. Accuses National Party of Neglect  —  Anticipating historic political losses in New York tomorrow, state Republican leaders are lashing out at the national party in Washington, saying it has exploited New York donors and blown opportunities against a prime target, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

State Laws Vary on Polling Place Photography  —  (This guest posting comes via Lauren Gelman, deputy director of the Center for Internet & Society at Stanford Law School.) … - Can you photograph or video your vote inside the polling station- either a paper ballot or electronic screen?

Democrats accuse Republicans of misdirecting voters, GOP fires back  —  ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The Democratic Party of New Mexico is accusing Republicans of providing voters with incorrect information on polling locations in Albuquerque in an effort to cause confusion, but the GOP calls the allegations "preposterous."

The 100 Most Influential Americans  —  The Atlantic's panel of historians has selected the 100 most influential Americans of all time.  Who do you think will be #1?  Cast your vote by clicking on the cover of your choice.  —  The Atlantic's 100 Most Influential Americans issue …

No ID, no vote  —  Chabot turned away at polls  —  WESTWOOD - Congressman Steve Chabot found out just how serious elections officials are about the new voter ID law when he showed up to vote at his polling place in Westwood.  —  Chabot went into the polling place at Westwood …