It seems like every election cycle there is that mischievous state that everyone turns to to see what the answer will be - the Fonzi State, if you will.  In 2000 there was the infamous case of Florida and we learned what a chad was.  In 2004 some speculated that Ohio would be a repeat scenario in leaving the nation in limbo for the next President but the situation was resolved swiftly.

     But don't think Ohio is done just yet! There are a few tricky additions coming to Ohio this November that you just might want to utilize this handy guide for.

     For instance, one quite interesting addition to this years election is that, in perhaps a serendipitous loophole, from September 30th until October 6 the deadline for voter registration ends and the start of absentee ballot voting beings.

      Citizens will be able to go into city hall, register to vote, and then immediately vote for their candidate right after. 

     A few weeks ago I attended a rally in Shaker Heights, Ohio where appearances were made by Howard Dean, Kal Penn (yes, Kumar) and the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones in support of Barack Obama.  The local speakers addressed how an aggressive promotion of getting first time voters to register and vote simultaneously would be necessary for a Democratic win in Ohio this November since it would essentially "lock in" votes.  It's also an interesting concept because it would really make the last month of campaigning, which includes the three presidential debates and a VP debate, relatively useless if people already seal in their vote over a month prior.

     However, the Ohio GOP sees this as unfair and unjust to the process and are taking Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to court.  Some Ohio bloggers have suggested that this is because this window would benefit Dems more than Repubs.

     Another possible fun way for Ohio to muck things up this election is something called voter caging.  As I understand it, and as it seems to apply to Ohio, is that one party is able to challenge the validity of a voter's registration without notification.  The challenges come from usually vague legislation that can disqualify eligible voters. 

     One common example cited in Ohio is sending out non-forwadable voter registration forms to houses that for some reason can't be passed on, signed when recieved, or may be marked as unusable.  For example, if a voter registration form is sent to a residence but the person does not occupy the residence anymore, and since the mail is deemed unable to be forwarded, this otherwise eligible voter can not vote.

     Reports of voter caging in 2004 came from counties with the largest urban cities and cities with the largest minority populations, such as Akron, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus.  These also tend to be the few solid blue seats that are peppered into the sea of red.

     To help prevent voter caging in Ohio, Secretary Jennifer Brunner has addressed county election boards and notified them that certain parts of the legislation passed in 2006 that "allowed" for voter caging may be or is unconstitutional.

     There's no doubt that not only will this election cause heartbreak for certain people this year but also it just may carry on the tradition of mistrust and doubt in the validity of the democratic process and voting.  That is until four years pass and we feel we can change that by voting.  Well you know.

     But with crazy ol' Ohio, as one of the three big swingers (her and PA and FL) probably won't go back into hiding after November 4th just yet.