Polling update: Oct. 17

"According to most polls, Barack Obama holds a double-digit lead in Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Wisconsin, all states that many political strategists and pollsters believe are too far gone at this late date for John McCain to win. Still, McCain's campaign soldiers on in those Democratic-leaning states, committing its most precious commodities — time and money — even as the Republican nominee struggles to lock up the red states he likely must sweep to win the presidency. It's a head-scratching strategy that is leading even some Republicans to wonder why the McCain campaign hasn't written off places such as Iowa and Pennsylvania and strategically retreated to ensure victory in more favorable red state terrain — such as Virginia and North Carolina — that it absolutely cannot afford to lose."

Meanwhile, the AP reports that there are signs that Ohio may not be the site of QUITE as many distracting shenanigans as last election cycle. Can we be hopeful? "The Supreme Court sided Friday with Ohio's top elections official in a dispute with the state Republican Party over voter registrations. The justices overruled a federal appeals court that had ordered Ohio's top elections official to do more to help counties verify voter eligibility. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, faced a deadline of Friday to set up a system to provide local officials with names of newly registered voters whose driver's license numbers or Social Security numbers on voter registration forms don't match records in other government databases."

Also, note that if you're going to the polls, be careful what you wear. Andrew Sullivan at the Daily Dish, sounds a note of caution from a North Carolina early voter who saw a woman wearing campaign paraphernalia while in the voting line. "An older man, also in line, told the woman she could not vote because she was electioneering. Another man spoke up and said that the woman could vote so long as she wasn't arm-twisting anyone to vote for her candidate." Everyone, so you know, wearing campaign stuff (McCain buttons, "Obama Girl" T-shirts, Ralph Nader baseball caps) to the polls is called "passive electioneering," and there is speculation that voters will be turned away at the polls for it. In Pennsylvania back in September, GOP officials "called on the Rendell administration to enforce a little-known, decades-old law that they say bans such things." According to Snopes.com, which offers this information on the subject, rules vary from state to state, and there are no clear answers. So I say, take no chances. Wear plain clothes, no buttons, no "I've got a crush on Obama" T-Shirts, folks. It's just for a few minutes.