Federal law requires that the electors who will choose the President be appointed on one specified day; the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.  This year that’s November 8.  That doesn’t mean, however, that everyone must vote on that one specified day.  States long have had procedures for absentee voting.  There was a time when you had to give a reason for an absentee ballot, but no more.  Most States have adopted “no excuse” absentee balloting.  In some States, Oregon, Washington and Colorado come to mind, all voting is done by mail.  The mail-in absentee voting has transformed in many States into early voting in voting machines weeks before the election day specified by federal law.  For some reason, presumably because Democrats believe they benefit from early voting, this is permitted.  The number of people who cast their votes early has grown  over time.  Since 2000, the number of people voting early has doubled to more than 30%.  There’s reason to expect that number to increase this year, so upwards of one-third of the eligible (and ineligible) voters will have voted before November 8.  Of course, come election day, we will still have to hear Democrat complaints about long lines at voting places.  We will be told that the lines are the work of evil Republicans who seek to discourage minorities from voting.  Democrats will cry foul and demand that the polls be kept open for extra hours.  The fact that this is nonsense will not be entertained.  If you are a voter in a big city who has to wait hours to vote, blame a Democrat.  They run your city.  They decide where the polling places are, how many poll workers are present, and how many machines are available.  If the ballot is too confusing or complicated, blame a Democrat, because they prepared the ballot, and decided where your choices will appear on it.  If you’re a Democrat in New Jersey, they make it easy for you.  Although ballot position is decided by drawing lots, somehow, defying the laws of probability, the Democrats appear on “Line A” at the top of the ballot every year.  If you want to vote for a non-Democrat candidate and can’t find him or her on the ballot, you’ll have to see the head of our complaint department, Helen Hunt.  Translation – if your not looking for a Democrat on the ballot, go to Hell and hunt for him.  But I digress.  Turning to our upcoming election, forgive me if I am discouraged.  I have mentioned in these pages that traditionally,  when I, a voter who enjoys nothing better than voting for a Republican, is not enthusiastic about the Republican candidate, that candidate is doomed.  This year I am far from enthusiastic, which does not bode well for Mr. Trump.  I have grave doubts about what we will get from him.  However, I have no doubt that what we will get from Hillary Clinton is all horrible.  I’m weighing my doubts against that certainty and voting for Trump.  If this election is like most others, it will not end well.  Trump claims this year’s different.  We’ll see.  One could argue that we’ve already seen.  One of the very few things about which I believe Bernie Sanders is right is that the system is rigged so that the insiders get to stay forever and run everything.  Crazy Bernie threatened to overturn the establishment apple cart.  Look what happened to him.  Ted Cruz talked about the “Washington Cartel.”  Look what happened to him.  Trump is from outside the Washington establishment.  Big wigs in both parties are deathly afraid of him, and he’s being denounced by both sides.  And it’s not just those in the government.  The media is part of this charade.  So far we have had two debates, a presidential and a vice-presidential, and the media has voted early.  Hillary wins.  In the first debate, Lester Holt started the conversation by asking, “Now that there’s no unemployment and everybody’s income is rising dramatically under Obama, what’s so bad about the economy Mr. Trump?”  It went down hill from there.  Lester Holt has voted.  The moderators (a strange name for wild-eyed leftists) took every opportunity to challenge and interrupt Mike Pence in the vice-presidential debate in order to help Tim Kaine.  Let’s face it, Kaine needed the help.  If Hillary gets sick and that clown has to take over we are in big trouble.  And it’s not just the debate moderators.  After the debates, I turned to Fox News and the Fox Business Channel for commentary.  Megyn Kelly has voted.  She hates Trump (maybe with good reason).  She’s interviewing Clinton shill Lanie Davis.  On Fox Business, they’re getting reactions from Jessie Jackson.  What do you think he thought of the debate?  And it’s not just on TV.  The Wall Street Journal; the paper I subscribed to when I couldn’t stand anymore reading the God-awful Red Star Ledger, publishes column after after column trashing Trump.  The wonder is that, for all the condemnations from politicians and the media, and for all the attempts to distract voters from the disgraceful and corrupt train wreck which is Hillary Clinton, the polls are close.  Maybe the voters just aren’t listening anymore.  Maybe Trump is right and this year is different.  Will the relative unpopularity of both major candidates result in a low election turnout, or will the desire to vote against one or the other send more people to the polls.  I don’t know.  If I had to guess, I’d guess that many voters who like neither Trump nor Hillary will just stay home.  It’s what political scientists call “cross pressure.”  Of course, I could be wrong.  This year it’s hard to be right.