Election 2006 has finally arrived. I won't waste your time with passionate arguments about parties and candidates. In fact, I won't even lecture you on the importance of voting. If you are blind to how voting affects your college tuition and other important aspects of your life, a few words from me won't make any difference now.
But if you want to vote, don't let logistics stop you. The polls are open between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., and if you arrive at 7:59 p.m. and there is a line, you still have the right to vote.
If you need to register to vote, you must provide your Wisconsin driver's license number. If you don't have that, you can use the last four digits of your social security number.
In addition, you must bring proof that you have lived at your current location for more than ten days. You can use a piece of mail with your name and current address printed on it, such as a utility bill or paycheck.
You may vote only at one specified polling location. To find your polling location, go to http://www.cityofmadison.com/clerk/voterWhere.cfm. If you are from Minnesota, you will not lose your tuition reciprocity if you register to vote in Wisconsin. You cannot vote if you are a convicted felon; but remember, alcohol citations are not felonies.
If you run into any impediments to voting, call the Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
As for all you political junkies out there, if you are glued to CNN tonight waiting in agony for results to come in, here is what you should be looking for: Kentucky usually has the earliest results in the nation. Three Republican representatives from Kentucky have serious races but are still favored to win.
If one or more of them loses, you will know the Democratic wave has begun.
For Democrats to take the House, they will have to defeat Republican incumbents in Connecticut, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Watch the races in these states closely.
In the Senate, everything comes down to Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia. The results in Virginia will be in first, and if Democrat Jim Webb upsets Republican Sen. George Allen, it will be a long night for the GOP.
However, don't go to bed until the Senate race in Montana has been called too. Ethically challenged Republican Sen. Conrad Burns has closed a large gap in the polls thanks to a huge infusion of national party money.
If the Democrats fall just short of a Senate majority, liberal bloggers and financiers might regret the time and money they spent trying to oust Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn.
Lieberman lost the Democratic primary to anti-war businessman Ned Lamont but has pulled himself together in the general election and is on the verge of winning as an independent.
If someone like Allen or Burns manages to eke out a victory, Democrats will be sorry they wasted their money in Connecticut trying to defeat one of their own.
Wisconsin, as usual, is looking like a national bellwether. Expect Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle to capture a narrow victory, and watch to see if the Democratic wave sweeps away state legislators such as Tom Reynolds, R-West Allis, and Dave Zien, R-Chippewa Falls.
The race for the eighth congressional district being vacated by U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Green Bay, is typical of this election cycle.
In an ordinary year, district demographics would clearly favor state Republican Rep. John Gard, R-Peshtigo, but if the Democratic landslide comes to pass, Democratic allergist Steve Kagen could be swept into office.
Finally, on a less suspenseful but still interesting note, take a look at who isn't fighting for, but rather cruising to, re-election.
Republican governors and senators will be returned to office in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine and Vermont, while Democratic governors and senators will win easily in Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Wyoming. Keep these cases in mind the next time you hear a pundit using simplistic terms like ""red state"" and ""blue state"" to describe American politics.
Happy electioneering!
