Obama Leads In Georgia?

Well, no sooner do I post that Obama is closing the gap in Georgia then Atlanta-based InsiderAdvantage releases a poll showing Obama actually leading McCain 48 percent to 47. Granted, Obama could still actually be trailing, given the 3.8 % margin of error, but it's the first poll of the campaign to show McCain behind in a state that Bush won in 2004 with 58 percent of the vote.

Two other polls show McCain still ahead, although both also show his lead shrinking.

As if in response, Atlanta-area Gwinnett County has announced that 10,000 absentee ballots are "flawed" due to a printing error and will have to be hand-copied by election officials. Optical scanning machines won’t be able to read the votes on Election Day due to a printing error and the votes will have to be transfered onto new ballots so the machines can read them.

Election workers will take the bad ballots, take a look at what each choice is, and then mark that choice on a second ballot. From 200 to 300 election workers will be dedicated to this process, and there will be two sets of eyes on each ballot. The election workers will be sequestered and they won't be able to leave or have contact with other people during the process - no phones, no recording equipment, and no access to the media. Sheriff’s deputies will be assigned to maintain the integrity of the votes, along with auditors from both parties.

Still, it makes you worry about the ability of unscrupulous parties to try to rig the results to their liking.