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Today voters from all across the nation will make their mark in one of the most important elections in recent history.

To keep track of all of the issues and the latest headlines on the 2008 Election, you know you can count on the KXLY Broadcast Group to be your source for complete election coverage.

Starting at 4 p.m. ABC News and KXLY 4 HD News will begin their non-stop coverage, watching every state and the current trends throughout the night as polls close from Maine in the east to Hawaii in the west. From Seattle to Spokane KXLY 4 HD News will have its news crews out with the candidates on Election Day to get their reactions as the race returns start coming in.

In Seattle, McKay Allen will be with Governor Christine Gregoire and the State Democratic Party while right across Lake Washington in Bellevue Sally Showman will be with the Republican Party and gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi.

In Spokane, Erik Loney will join Congressman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers and other Republicans as they watch the returns at the Davenport Hotel while across the Spokane River at the Inn at the Park Tania Dall will be with the Democratic Party as they cheer on their candidates.

Annie Bishop will be out on the streets talking with local voters about the election while Tori Brunetti will be watching the returns come in at the Elections Center in downtown Spokane. Back at the KXLY4 studio Melissa Luck will be following local races and ballot measures.

Online, KXLY4 HD News will have continuous coverage on KXLY.com where our Internet news team will be hosting a live video webcast and a live interactive blog starting late Tuesday afternoon and running until late in the evening.

If you’re traveling you can also tune into our coverage on the radio at KXLY 920 AM, where KXLY 920’s Mike Fitzsimmons will have news and analysis from 3 p.m. well into the evening.

Back at the KXLY studios in downtown Spokane Robyn Nance and Dave Erickson will bring all the resources of KXLY together to help bring you the most concise, accurate and timely news on election night.

Remember that the one place you can go to for complete election coverage on television, on radio and online will be the stations and sites of the KXLY Broadcast Group.

For more Election Day coverage please see:

• Make It Count - Latest elections headlines
• Election 2008 Races and Returns
• Elections videos and candidate interviews
• KXLY.com's Twitter page
• Voter Information Guide
• US Senate Map
• US House of Representatives Map
• Washington Secretary of State's Elections Site
• Idaho Votes

Forgive me if I repeat myself, as I’m having a major case of deja vu. Four years ago, Washington waited with great anticipation for word of who would govern our state. We had to wait for quite awhile. In 2004, the race between Chris Gregoire and Dino Rossi was so tight, we had to wait weeks and wait for the state supreme court to step in before we learned Gregoire would be our governor. Here we are, four years later, and the race is just as tight. But, one of the major reasons we’ll have to wait for results is it seems our state’s largest county isn’t quite up to the challenge of the count.

We all know the truth about Washington politics: however King County goes, so (most likely) goes the state. But, as KXLY reported earlier this week (and, the Seattle Times is reporting today), King County’s ballot-counting equipment is 16 years old. Because of that and the large number of ballots that will come in the days after election day, King County will release only about 39% of results by Wednesday. In a race that many consider to be a dead-heat, that means a lot of waiting - and, a lot of uncertainty - about our next governor.

Covering elections has changed a lot over the years, especially in light of Washington’s shift to mail-in only elections. Typically, we would get the results by about 8:30 every election night and have a pretty good idea that night of who won. The only exceptions were the absentee ballots that came in later. Now, though, we get maybe one run of ballots on election night and - statewide - an incomplete picture of who wins and loses. It’s frustrating for us to cover - and, frustrating, I’m sure, for anyone who wants to know.

I guess I should be happy that elections officials are taking their times. With fears of voter fraud and machine/ballot errors, election managers are learning what we in TV news continue to learn: being right is better than being first. I just wish that in the four years since that contentious election in 2004, some new equipment and plans would be in place to assure accurate results closer to election day.

King County Superior Court Judge Paris Kallas has allowed his courtroom to be manipulated by blatant partisans trying to influence the outcome of a razor close election for Governor of Washington State.

It is an unprecedented intrusion into the electoral process. Worse, the judge made a preposterous statement that a deposition in a lawsuit brought against the Building Industry of Washington will allow Rossi to “confirm - or dispel” allegations brought by two former Supreme Court justices, both Democrats supporting incumbent Christine Gregoire.

This case isn’t about justice. It is all about political imagery, and calculated to damage Dino Rossi. Fundamental fairness has been abandoned. This action is outrageous. Since when does a deposition, especially one taken by a hostile attorney arrive at the truth about anything? Depositions are just testimony. They are not by themselves proof of any fact in dispute. Surely a couple of former supreme court judges know this and so should Judge Kallas. Why must Rossi testify in this case right now? He isn’t even a party to the lawsuit. Why can’t it wait? Did you know that, in most cases, courts are willing to work with witnesses? They will typically accommodate the busy schedules of witnesses whenever reasonable. Why not in this instance?

Former Senator Slade Gorton, who is also a former Washington State Attorney General, and former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington John McKay have issued a statement criticizing the extraordinary demand by Judge to force candidate Dino Rossi to interrupt his campaign in the final week, to testify in connection with this highly suspicious politically-charged farce. That statement reads in part:

“This isn’t law - this is partisan politics and it stinks. Requiring Dino Rossi to leave the campaign trail and be subjected to a partisan deposition in the last week of the campaign is wrong. Governor Gregoire should call off this unfair attack against Dino Rossi.”

You can be certain that the governor will not call off this witch hunt. This isn’t the first time she has permitted partisans to use the courts for a frivolous lawsuit aimed at hurting Rossi. Remember the failed effort to get a judge to strike Rossi’s ballot title where he lawfully preferred “G.O.P.” instead of Republican after his name? Gregoire is perfectly comfortable with these kinds of tactics, and she is also desperate. There is no merit to this case, and everyone involved knows it. They don’t expect to win in court. They only want to create a negative sentiment of Rossi in the electorate, by abusing the court system in this eleventh hour. This is the very politics that should enrage fair-minded voters.

Shame on Judge Kallas for being such a pathetic patsy.

As we hear of the fraudulent shenanigans of the organization called ACORN, presently under investigation in fifteen states as we head into the general election of 2008 one has to wonder if there is any threat to a clean election in Washington State.

Secretary of State Sam Reed, who is the state’s chief election officer, says the only problem may come from an unknown number of felons who may cast ballots unlawfully. State Republican Party Chairman, Luke Esser says that number could be in the thousands. Secretary Reed doesn’t know how many there are, but he admits that incomplete data from the Department of Corrections makes it impossible to determine the number, even though his office removed 11,000 felons from voter role since 2004.

Still, Reed says the 2008 election will be the cleanest in Washington State history, and both major party chairs - Esser for the Republicans and Kelly Steele for the Democrats - agree.

What happens, however, if there are a few razor-thin races on November 4th? It looks as though the governor’s race might be just as close as it was in 2004. If it is, several thousand illegal voters could make the difference and taint the outcome. How can anyone be comfortable with that prospect?

We all know what a mess the last contest between Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi was. Can we tolerate another one of those episodes? Despite the remarkable progress made by the Secretary of State under new authority from the legislature to rid voter roles of criminals and schemers, there still is a significant threat to the integrity of our election.

Perhaps it is a comfort that our problems are not as acute as in other states. There is a distinct possibility that the ugly mess we witnessed in Florida in 2000 could be replicated in as many as five states this time around. One can scarcely imagine the trouble we may face if significant fraud surfaces in Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere.

This could be all the more troubling if the presidential race is close, and recent polls suggest it will be. Suffice it to say that odds are that it won’t be over on November 4th. Well over 60% of Americans believe we’re in for a very rough election. Let’s hope it won’t be exacerbated by election trouble in Washington.

I have no idea if prophesizer is a word, but I’m going to leave it because I like the alliteration. I also what it means. I’ve learned in the last week my son is quite the political enthusiast. I think it’s only fitting that he’ll be born just after a presidential election. What I have to figure out, though, is what his prophesies mean.

Last week, I was on a reporter panel for the gubernatorial debate between Dino Rossi and Gov. Chris Gregoire. Every time Gov. Gregoire answered a question, my baby kicked. Strangely, he did not quick during a single Dino Rossi answer. I really didn’t think much of it until today. Today, I sat on a panel for a 5th district congressional debate between Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Dr. Mark Mays. Every time McMorris Rodgers answered a question, my son started kicking up a storm! When Dr. Mays spoke, nothing.

I have no idea what this means politically. Maybe it means my son has a good feeling about Gregoire and McMorris Rodgers and they’re going to win. Maybe he strongly disagrees with their views and he’s kicking me so that I’ll ask a follow up question. Maybe he just prefers women’s voices to men. Either way, I’ll be sure to watch closely election night to see if our baby is the Nostradamus of Washington state politics.

Today I did something I have never done: I sat on a reporter panel for a Washington gubernatorial debate. The debate between Governor Chris Gregoire and Dino Rossi airs in about an hour on KSPS. I watched our copy of the debate already (it was live to tape) and here are my observations:

1. It’s amazing how well each candidate can throw out numbers and figures and statistics from memory

2. I look as pregnant as I feel, even when you can only see me from the shoulders up

Next up, a debate between the candidates for the 5th district congressional seat. We’re taping Monday. If you have questions, please email them to me at MelissaL@kxly.com

Feel free to send me your comments on tonight’s debate, if you like. I’d love to hear what you thought about how the candidates addressed issues that matter to voters in Eastern Washington.

Four years ago, 133 votes separated Chris Gregoire and Dino Rossi. It took several weeks and several recalls to decide the election and hand the governor’s mansion over to Gregoire. Now, we’re facing Round 2. In just over a month, voters will again decide between these two candidates. A Seattle Times article printed today asks the question “Is Rossi-Gregoire Rematch an East-West Fight?” A lot of voters on this side of the Cascades believe our vote doesn’t count, as we’re so overshadowed (and, out-populated - if that’s a word) by King County. But, I do believe our voice does matter in these statewide elections. And, I want you to have your chance to make your voice heard.

Next Thursday, I’m sitting on the panel for the only gubernatorial debate in Eastern Washington. The debate is hosted by KSPS and the Spokesman-Review. In addition to our questions, we will ask four voter questions. If you have something you want to ask the candidates, you need to include the following information: first and last name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be used on the air, but not your phone number. We’ll just call you ahead of time if your question will be used.

You can email your questions to me at MelissaL@kxly.com. I need them by Wednesday.

Washington State Democrats acting clearly on behalf of Governor Christine Gregoire, are trying to disenfranchise many voters with a lawsuit that is totally without merit, claiming that Dino Rossi’s name on the ballot with “prefers GOP” after it, is a deliberate attempt to hide his Republican party affiliation.

The English Oxford Dictionary published in 1876 referred the Republican Party as the Grand Old Party (GOP). Indeed the Republican has been known as the GOP since 1854. History books in the United States have described the Republican Party as the “G.O.P” since shortly after Abraham Lincoln became its most favorite son. The term has been taught to history students in the nation’s elementary schools, high schools and colleges for close to 140 years.

The alleged “confusion” that the state’s Democrats claim, arises from a follow-up question in an Elway Poll taken between June 18 - 20, 2008, in which 405 registered Washington voters were surveyed about their preference in the race for governor. The Seattle-based polling firm says 25-percent of the respondents didn’t know what G.O.P. stands for. Some thought it meant Democrat, others just didn’t know. My guess is that Elway either happened upon perhaps the dumbest 405 people in the Evergreen State, or most were putting him on.

In any event, this flimsy polling data constitutes nowhere near sufficient evidence for a court to base a decision upon that could disenfranchise thousands of Washington voters in November. This data is not clear. It is hardly cogent, and it is certainly not convincing…..not in the face of 14 decades of history education wherein “G.O.P” and Republican have always been understood as interchangeable.

This politically-motivated move will invite a frivolous and expensive legal battle over this bogus claim. Assuming Democrats can shop around and locate a judge political enough, and stupid enough to buy their phony claim, by the time the state is able to reprint new ballots and mail them to voters, many registered voters, especially those serving in the armed forces abroad, might not get them in time to cast a vote in the election. In such a close election, where recent polling trends show the incumbent Democrat Chiristine Gregoire slipping, I think that’s exactly what cynical Democrats are hoping for.