2004 Elections
?Every single state has a plan and all of the secretaries of state are adamant about continuing with the election,? said Meredith Imwalle, director of communications for the National Association of Secretaries of State. ?They are adamant about the fact that there will be no postponement of elections and have plans in place to be able to react effectively.?....
"Meanwhile, homeland security officials are in close contact with state and local officials to determine what kind of federal help might be needed to secure polling places, a senior administration official said; however, 'it remains a state and local responsibility for the security of the polling places.'"?. [MSNBC]
You'll remember that the Election Assistance Commission had complained to the White House and Justice Department that ?the federal government has no agency that has the statutory authority to cancel and reschedule a federal election? in the event of a national emergency such as a terrorist attack. The White House promptly denied that there were any plans to violate the Constitution in this fashion, and the House passed a resolution affirming that, indeed, no one had such authority.
If there is a disruption of the elections, it will occur in one of the "battleground" or "undecided" States, Colorado and Florida being the best candidates. The Secretary of State can decide that the results are inaccurate, that people didn't get a chance to vote because of fear, the voting equipment is faulty due to sabotage-- any number of reasons-- and set a recount or new polling, throwing the mess into court. Within a very short time, the case would be before Rehnquist, and we know already how he would decide.