Can obama postpone the election because of the perfect storm?

(Obama would try if he thought it would help his election chances. Its more likely that the states could postpone elections if state law allows it, as does Virginia, which could be hit hard by Sandy. Governor Bob McDonnell can postpone the election for up to 14 days. Obama's lawyers would be sure to have another month long spectacle like bush/gore in 2000. It would be an a "crisis" that he would not let go to waste. I'm sure if obama see's he going to lose he will take a crisis and use it to steal the election.)Story Reports
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Jason Koebler

Hurricane Sandy Could Interrupt Election In Some States

It's been called "snowicane" and "worse than the perfect storm," and it could knock out power in the mid-Atlantic through Election Day.

Hurricane Sandy hasn't even made it past the Bahamas yet, but Sandy, or any natural disaster around Election Day, could wreak extreme havoc on the election, experts say.

Political scientists have long studied the effects of rain and inclement weather on voter turnout and, not surprisingly, have found many people would rather stay at home than brave the weather. But more extreme storms or natural disasters that affect an entire state or region could turn a mild inconvenience into a huge mess.

That's because there are few federal election procedure laws, Robert Pastor, co-director of the Center for Democracy and Election Management says. Election process is generally left up to state or local governments, who Pastor says are "least capable of handling a statewide or regional disaster."

Most states have contingency plans in case a state of emergency is declared on Election Day. In Virginia, which could be hit hard by Sandy, Governor Bob McDonnell can postpone the election for up to 14 days, leading to all sorts of logistical issues.

If, for instance, the election came down to a late-voting Virginia "there'd probably be an outlandish intervention of Super PAC money as well as regular campaign spending," says John Hudak, a governance studies fellow at Brookings. "It would be quite the carnival . . . you'd have a very serious constitutional situation occurring."

It'd also represent a field day for lawyers. Congress has the power to formally protest Electoral College votes from states they feel are tainted, as long as one member from each house agrees to bring it to a vote. If a majority of both houses vote to reject the votes from a certain state, they are thrown out.

"If you have a situation where [a] state has delayed its voting and that one had an impact on the outcome, we'd see a movement to reconsider those votes," he says. For the sake of sanity, let's hope it doesn't happen."

Most, but not all states require backup paper ballots at polling stations that use electronic voting machines. Says Pastor: "If there is a region wide natural disaster that shuts down power, there's a high-probability that we will lose votes. In a close election, that'll ensure there will be serious electoral disputes."

Pastor says a natural disaster that impacts the election would "stretch the fabric of American Democracy to the point of being torn" because, in many cases, local disputes over voting "would be addressed in an area where one party is largely dominant and the rules are extremely weak."

(Keep in mind its the electorial college that votes to put the president in office. These votes can be challenged in the house and senate if only 1 senator and 1 congressman does the challenge. In 2008 there were NO patriots in congress to challenge the natural born citizenship of obama as they should have done. Congress should also have challenged all the electorial votes in all 50 states because obama was certified by the democratic party he was qualified to be on the ballot. He was not because the democrates relied on an online short form certificate of live birth which had not been verified by hawaii or anyone one else! The democratic party never contacted hawaii and verified his US citizenship.) Story Reports