The notion of a split decision between the popular vote and the Electoral College tally, which seemed rather unlikely before 2000, now is almost old hat. Mann, for his part, hopes that if this election splits the opposite way from 2000 -- with Bush winning the popular vote and Kerry the electoral count -- it might ignite a movement to junk the Electoral College altogether.
The idea got some traction after the 2000 vote, but lost momentum when small states raised objections and got sidelined altogether when priorities shifted after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Those attacks, meanwhile, have given rise to a whole new catalog of nightmare scenarios associated with terrorism. The notion was reinforced when 191 people in Madrid were killed in terrorist bombings last March just three days before Spain's elections.
Most people have forgotten, if they ever knew it, that 9/11 was a local election day in New York City. Governor George Pataki postponed the balloting for two weeks.
It would be a far more complicated matter to postpone presidential voting in all or part of the nation.
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