COLUMBUS, OHIO, 4:28 p.m.

In a strange reversal of roles, it is now Republicans who are complaining about voter suppression. If history is any judge, this means they're expecting to lose. John McClelland, spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party, has issued this statement:

"Phone lines at the Ohio Republican Party headquarters are flooded with complaints from voters who were harassed by Democrat activists as they entered voting locations. Other reports indicate Democrat poll observers are illegally trying to assist and communicate with voters as they cast ballots. In Stark County, Democrats passed out literature to voters telling them to ask Democrat election observers for assistance in casting a ballot."

Meanwhile, Doug Preisse, the candid chairman of the Franklin County Republican Party, is feeling a little glum. "We spend most of the morning and afternoon scrambling around for bits and drops of information, which cause your blood pressure to rise and drop, but mean absolutely nothing," he said.

Though he doesn't know anything yet, Preisse has what Han Solo might call "a bad feeling about this." Two years ago, he said he was filled with "anticipation" for election results, but this year, because of the anticipated disaster from the top of the ticket--Ken Blackwell's hapless gubernatorial campaign--he doesn't expect much to go right. "There's a little more resignation and a little less anticipation," Preisse said.

He pointed to a few Republican county officials and judicial candidates as potential bright spots on this dreary night. "We're just hoping there are a few babies lin our midst left that haven't been thrown out with the political bathwater." Preisse tends to be a pessimist by nature, he said, but he thinks he has "a little more reason this year."

It's worth noting that many Republicans, including Preisse, were at least somewhat leery of President Bush's chances of winning Ohio in 2004. That year, with the help of an anti-gay marriage amendment on the ballot that turned out religious conservatives, the Republicans caught lightning in a bottle. In a few hours, everyone will see if they can do it again.

--Dan Williamson
The Other Paper
Columbus Monthly magazine