Voting machine problems bedevil multiple states  —  Election machine glitches caused delays and jangled nerves in at least three states today as voters began turning out for midterm elections that could set the tone for the last two years of President Bush's term in office.

Exit-Poll Secrecy Measures Aim to Plug Leaks to Blogs  —  Two-by-two, polling specialists from ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News and the Associated Press will go into rooms in New York and Washington shortly before noon Tuesday.  Their cellphones and BlackBerrys will be confiscated …

FBI looking into possible Va. voter intimidation  —  Officials probing reports of phone calls allegedly intended to confuse voters … The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into the possibility of voter intimidation in the U.S. Senate race between Sen. George Allen, a Republican …

"Absolutely True:" Rather Continues to Defend 60 Minutes TANG Story  —  Just moments ago on North Carolina's Morning News with Jack Boston on Raleigh-based News-Talk 680 WPTF, former CBS anchor Dan Rather defended the infamous 60 Minutes story using forged documents to attack President Bush's service …

New York Plans to Make Gender Personal Choice  —  Separating anatomy from what it means to be a man or a woman, New York City is moving forward with a plan to let people alter the sex on their birth certificate even if they have not had sex-change surgery.  —  Under the rule being considered …

Following the Election Returns  —  An hour-by-hour guide to tonight's results.  —  This year the networks say they are guarding their exit poll results as if they were crown jewels.  The results will be delivered to a "quarantine room," access to which will be granted to only two staffers …

Pelosi's Platform  —  HOW THE DEMOCRATS COULD GOVERN IF THEY WIN THE HOUSE.  —  What will a Democratic House of Representatives under Speaker Nancy Pelosi be like?  The Republicans have been painting an unattractive portrait of Democrats roasting young children on a spit in the Capitol rotunda and whatnot.

For Democrats, Even a Gain May Feel Like a Failure  —  In most midterm elections, an out-of-power party picking up, say, 14 seats in the House and five seats in the Senate could call it a pretty good night.  —  But for Democrats in 2006, that showing would mean coming up one seat shy of taking control of both the Senate and the House.

Repeat Robocalls Suck?  Blame the GOP  —  UPDATE: Laura Ingraham has asked her listeners to call the Dem Voter protection hotline — and they are now being flooded with calls from crank callers.  Please call Laura and tell her what you think about this: 800.876.4123.  You can e-mail her here.

Olbermann: Where are the checks, balances?  —  Bush has been 'making it up' for too long, and the people have let him … MSNBC TV  —  We are, as every generation, inseparable from our own time.  —  Thus is our perspective, inevitably that of the explorer looking into the wrong end of the telescope.

THE MYTH OF THE RATIONAL VOTER  —  There's an election tomorrow.  Do voters know what they're doing?  According to the typical economist — and many political scientists — the answer is "No, but it doesn't matter."  How could it not matter?  The main argument is that the public's errors cancel out.

Stuff that may or may not happen  —  Anything can happen.  —  Except Katherine Harris winning.  —  That's not gonna happen.  —  I try not to get too excited about elections because, like having sex with celebrities, it never really turns out to be as good as you expect it to be (I mean Salma Hayek was good...but I've had better).

How To Read the Election-Day Newspaper  —  DON'T.  —  How to Read the Election-Day Newspaper  —  A quiet sets over the press corps on the Monday before a national election.  The boys and girls who have covered the campaigns for the last six months have nothing left in their tanks, and the headline writers know it.

The 100 Most Influential Americans  —  The Atlantic's panel of historians has selected the 100 most influential Americans of all time.  Who do you think will be #1?  Cast your vote by clicking on the cover of your choice.  —  The Atlantic's 100 Most Influential Americans issue …

Voting nightmare: Democrats seek extension  —  Democratic party leaders are planning to seek a two-hour extension for voting in Denver, due to massive computer problems which have created long lines, and kept many from casting their vote.  —  Party spokesman Brian Mason said a motion is being prepared …