Send in the referee. It’s the bottom of the ninth inning and both sides are calling foul.

On the left, there are calls to protect voting rights and prevent fraud. The threat is so serious that Justice Department personnel will closely monitor Election Day voting in several counties in South Carolina. Observers will be in Dorchester and Georgetown counties in South Carolina. The Justice Department is not releasing specific reasons for interest in those counties.

They have, however, been subject to voter intimidation in the past. Recently, in neighboring North Carolina a county polling place allowed a casket with an anti-Barack Obama sticker that read “O’ No!” The NAACP along with state Democratic Representatives are going to great lengths to make sure that same intimidation does not make its way to South Carolina polls on Election Day.

So far over three hundred lawyers will be available throughout the day to address concerns of voters at the polls. Among polls monitored closely will be those in the upstate that traditionally have large numbers of Evangelical, Conservative voter turnout. The extra measures are meant to ensure those numbers are not fudged.

Those same Conservative voters are alleging voter intimidation against them. They are pointing the finger at isolated incidents across the country where McCain supporters have been attacked by Obama supporters. One of those two incidents has been proven to be a hoax, and the complainant arrested.

Both sides are experiencing a series of campaign headquarter vandalizations. In the Palmetto State campaign sign vandalism has contributed to growing concerns of the Right. This weekend alone, fifty signs in a ten mile stretch of highway became five signs overnight. The Republican Party is pulling its own lawyers to make sure Conservative voters also get their fair chance come Tuesday.

To add to the Election Day craze, forecasters are predicting inclement weather throughout the state on Election Day. Bad weather on Election Day, traditionally results in low voter turnout for the Democratic Party. With record breaking early voting throughout the state, largely by newly registered Democrats, it’s too soon to tell if the inclement weather/low voter turnout trend will persist.

With such high alert and whistleblowers on both the left and right, I wouldn’t be surprised if this year’s election is closer than anticipated. The bottom line is that there’s no overtime in politics so absolute measures must be taken to protect the rights of voters to both the left and right.