Elction* (for Election*)

You've come a long way, baby, but hey, have you seen that viral video of the little kid crying over how sick and tired she is of "Bronco Bamma and Mitt Romney"? Sometimes it's hard to know just where to stand on Election Day and easier just to throw in the tear-soaked towel. Whether you miss the 1950s and still "like Ike" or have managed to keep hope alive and are backing Barack, or perhaps like a good German are going mit Mitt, or anything else in between, you're probably planning on casting your ballot tomorrow. Unless, that is, you tried to beat the crowds or any last-minute conflicts by voting early, something the First Lady was pushing on one of the late-night talk shows the other night. Still another option, however, though not one widely encouraged, is to skip the elections entirely, which the managing editor of Reason magazine, Katherine Mangu-Ward, makes a surprisingly good case for in the journal's November issue. It's simply not worth it, she argues. And this isn't only advice for those derided 'undecideds' who aren't quite sure who the vice president is; it's also meant for a wide range of thoughtful and informed voters and abstainers as well. It's all very interesting and debatable, I guess, but on Tuesday we're being asked to make a choice. So please do whatever it is you do on Election Day and may the best men and women win. We counted five cases of Elction* (for election*) in OhioLINK today, and 94 in WorldCat.

(Country Gentleman magazine cover, November 4, 1922. The 19th Amendment giving all women the right to vote wasn't ratified until August 1920. Note the obnoxious sign: "Women Must Give Their Ages." From Wikimedia Commons.)

Carol Reid