"Folks are interested in this election. And, I would guess, most of these voters are registering enthusiastically because they've already decided how they want to vote. They know they can make a difference.

Most of these voters would not be considered "likely" under proscribed polling rules. But they cannot be dismissed. Yet.

Then, there's the question of when someone votes.

There's always talk, at least in presidential campaigns, about the potential for an October surprise, an event that happens a few days before the election that radically shifts opinion.

But that notion is based on the way we used to conduct elections, when most of us voted on Election Day. That's no longer true. For this election, as much as half of the electorate will vote by mail -- a process already begun in much of the country. In Washington, that number is more likely to be around 70 percent -- and we begin voting this week."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Of polls, mail-in ballots and change (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 10/10)

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