Presidential Election

I wonder how many Americans have an understanding of what is probably the most profound consequence of the 2012 election. With several of the U.S. Supreme Court justices in their 70s, it is expected that anywhere from one to four justices will retire during the next four years, leaving vacancies to be nominated by the president who is in office at the time. Currently, the court is evenly divided between moderates and conservatives, which is a good thing so that no political ideology will consistently affect laws and life in the United States.

The Senate approved Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposed expansion of early voting Monday night, sending the legislation to the House of Delegates. Senators voted 35-12, with most Republicans opposed, to increase the number of days and hours that early voting centers will remain open. The bill would increase the number of early voting days from six to eight starting in 2014. The hours of voting would be longer in presidential election years. O'Malley's proposal follows a presidential election that saw voters waiting in line for hours at the limited number of early voting sites in each county.

The Presidential Election is drawing near for voters in Harford and Cecil counties, with early voting starting around the state Saturday in advance of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 6. While the Barack Obama – Mitt Romney race for President is the headliner, there are plenty of state and local issues to keep voters in both counties interested. Statewide there will referendum votes on same sex marriage (Question 6), gambling expansion (Question 7) and in-state tuition rates for children of illegal immigrants who attend Maryland state colleges (Question 4)

Nate Silver is known for predicting things correctly. For instance, he correctly called the outcomes of all 50 states in November's presidential election. So, Baltimore is not going to care for Silver's Super Bowl prediction. Silver, who writes the New York Times FiveThirtyEight blog, did the math and concluded that the Ravens will likely fall to the 49ers. The upshot of his reasoning is that teams with the better defense win. And if one runs the numbers, the Ravens defense is not the best.

The platforms that the two political parties publish every four years are a lot like the warranties that come with washers or refrigerators: Nobody ever reads them, but if you do, you find that nothing in them actually applies. This year, though, the Republican platform is getting lots of attention because it contains a plank calling for a human life amendment to the Constitution that outlaws abortion and makes no exception for rape, incest or the health of the mother. That's pretty much the same pro-life plank that was in party platforms in previous campaigns, but it is in the spotlight because of the clueless comments of Congressman Todd Akin - that a woman's reproductive system actually shuts down during rape, preventing conception - and the selection by Mitt Romney of Paul Ryan as his running mate, a man who describes himself as "as pro-life as you can get. " But let me ask you this, as the Republicans convene in Tampa: Are you pregnant and contemplating an abortion?

Today's editorial "What about climate change?" (Oct. 18) was great! Thank you for asking the question that CNN's Candy Crowley decided was less important than the economy during the debate between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. You described Mr. Obama as "head-and-shoulders above his challenger," but being as far behind as we are on climate change isn't a virtue. James Hansen of NASA is the planet's best-informed climate scientist. He said we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6 percent per year, until we reach zero emissions.

I am a proud Democrat and have been for my entire adult life. So when the Supreme Court ruled that George W. Bush was the winner of the 2000 presidential election, I was deeply disappointed but consoled myself by thinking, "how much harm could one president do?" Well, I found out. In the eight disastrous years of the Bush presidency, our country went from prosperity - the budget surplus was a huge campaign issue! - to nearly complete economic collapse, and from a nation whose president helped to end long-standing international conflicts (remember President Clinton's actions in Bosnia and Ireland?

MOSCOW -- The Russian Federation parliament scheduled yesterday a presidential election for June 12, setting the stage for the first popular election of a Russian leader in history and handing front-runner Boris N. Yeltsin a political triumph.In a convincing 607-228 vote, the parliament also gave final approval to expanded powers for Mr. Yeltsin, now the parliamentary leader, until the first elected president with full executive powers takes office."I want to thank you for your confidence," the big, white-haired Russian leader told the Congress of People's Deputies after prolonged applause.

NEW YORK -- A year from now, Wall Street's great question about the 1992 presidential election will have been answered.No, not whether George Bush will be re-elected.Rather, it is whether the stock market will turn in a positive performance in the next year, as it has in nine of the 11 post-World War II presidential contests.According to William LeFevre, market strategist for Tucker Anthony Inc., the stock market "can't be counted on to predict an election winner," but it has "shown a reasonably predictable pattern for the year heading up to the election."

Travelers overseas on Nov. 3 and 4 will be able to keep abreast of the presidential election results at get-togethers around TV sets. American communities in cities like London and Paris, for example, usually organize such events, although some are private. Now Hong Kong has taken up the election theme.Several American groups in the colony, including the League of Women Voters, the American Chamber of Commerce and the American University Club, are presenting a gala called Election Central '92 Hong Kong in the Marriott Hotel ballroom from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 4, the day after the election.

Shortly after the 1988 presidential election, pollsters asked Democrats whom they favored to be their party's nominee in 1992. The strongest candidates were Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Gov. Mario M. Cuomo of New York. The governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton, didn't even register. Eight years ago, after another election, the pollsters tried again. The front-runners for the 2008 Democratic nomination, they found, were Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and John F. Kerry. The newly elected senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, wasn't on the list.

In regard to Charlotte Allen's commentary in support of Sarah Palin in the 2016 presidential election, even the Republicans aren't that stupid ("For president in 2016: Guess who?" Nov. 26). Governor Palin won't even get the nomination. Ed Brandt, Timonium

Baltimore's Fifth Regiment Armory is a good place to start for some perspective on the recent presidential election. Within its gray stone walls, the tumultuous 1912 Democratic National Convention played a major scene in the political drama that resulted in an incumbent president not only being defeated, but finishing third in the national election. The dynamics that led to such an extraordinary result are lessons that apply to any analysis of an election involving a sitting president.

Given the heated controversies over potential restrictions on voters' access to the polls during this year's presidential election, now is no time to back off on the legal protections that guarantee one of a democracy's most fundamental rights. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that protects minorities' access to the polls. The law is one of the signature legacies of the civil rights era, and experience has shown it is still needed.

Anyone driving north on Honeygo Boulevard in White Marsh one week ago Friday in midafternoon might have been surprised at the slow crawl of traffic. So many vehicles were turning into Honeygo Run Regional Park that the right lane was set aside for them, and in the parking lot cars filled every no-parking zone and every patch of grass that could be occupied. More patient souls simply circled, waiting for a regular space to open. It wasn't the boy's high school soccer playoff game that caused such a mess (although Perry Hall's overtime victory over Dulaney turned out to be a thriller)

As if it weren't enough that Lena Dunham, the 26-year-old writing/directing/acting phenom who started a revolution this year with her HBO series "Girls," scored a $3.5-million book deal and has been granted the unofficial but unimpeachable title of "voice of her generation," she also appears to have won the presidential election - or at least to have been one of the driving forces behind the guy who did. In a much-talked-about campaign video for...

James Massey, director of the Harford County Board of Elections, typically carries voter registration forms with him. They came in handy last week when he went to the barbershop. Before his trim was complete Thursday, he had given out all the forms - to the barber, the receptionist and a few other customers. "I call it voter outreach," said Massey, whose staff is handling nearly 500 new registration forms a day. "It has been frenetic. A lot of people are saying that they want to vote this year.

AS THE NEW AMERICAN NATION celebrated its 20th Fourth of July 200 years ago today, it found itself embroiled in the first partisan presidential election in its short history. George Washington had reigned, virtually unopposed, after two uncontested elections in 1788 and 1792.By the time the 1796 election rolled around, the political parties the Founders had sought to avoid were very much in the process formation -- their impact upon the future of the nation impossible to exaggerate. The seeds were planted in the personal rivalry of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, but they were nurtured in the conflicting interests of regions and classes.

I don't often suffer from insomnia, but sleep came slowly after the outcome of the presidential election was announced ("Re-elected," Nov. 7). My good and valued friend of almost a half-century, Nat Asch, often says that "we're going to die at the right time. " Not that he will say it this morning. Though I have not spoken with him yet today, I'm virtually certain he is delighted with the re-elected of President Barack Obama. (He and I approach most, though not all issues, from opposite ends of the political spectrum)

If 2,500 Baltimore middle school students have their way Tuesday, President Barack Obama will be re-elected, children of some illegal immigrants will pay in-state tuition rates, same-sex couples can marry and gambling in Maryland will not expand. The results were announced Monday by the students of City Neighbors Charter School, who through a "Voters of Tomorrow" initiative conducted a mock vote in 29 city schools on key choices facing the state and country on Election Day. The project was a culmination of social studies lessons this fall for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at City Neighbors, which included following debates, arguing different positions in class, and hearing viewpoints from figures on both sides of the issues, including Republican Del. Pat McDonough, Democratic Del. Mary Washington and the immigrant rights group Casa de Maryland.