Hamm

"Many American voters are beginning to wonder if the 2004 presidential election will be clean and fair, or if it will turn out to look more like the electoral processes held in Latin American, Asian, Africa, and other countries run by authoritarian governments," says ISU political scientist Patricia Hamm. "Will their vote be counted? Will the electoral outcome be manipulated? Are voters being intimidated to vote in a certain way? Will the "dead" turn out to vote and the "living" be prevented from voting? Most importantly, they are asking themselves what can they do to ensure that the 2004 electoral campaign and election be viewed in retrospective as an example of democratic practices."

Baum

"The challenge for George W. Bush and the Republican Party is to convince voters that their emphasis on faith is not meant to divide or exclude people," says ISU associate professor of philosophy and religious studies Robert Baum, "or to remove the separation of church and state that has guided this country since the time of Jefferson."

Dimitrova

"The Internet has become vital to the 2004 campaign giving both parties access to information and ideas not provided by the big national media," says ISU journalism professor Daniela Dimitrova. "For instance, the Internet is an important source of information on the Iraq War. Americans holding negative views toward the war have been particularly motivated to go online and seek alternative views. Blog sites such as 'Where is Raed' is a good example."

ISU political experts on election year issues.

Schmidt

"The 2004 election is one of the most important in U.S. history because it may be the defining moment for the Democrats who have been losing power at the local, county, state and national level for the past decade," says ISU political scientist Steffen Schmidt. "The real question is, 'Will the Democrats go the way of the Tory party in England or will it find its new identity in 2004?'"

ISU political experts on election year issues.

McCormick

"States like Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio are crucial to the selection of the next president," says ISU political scientist James McCormick. "As the Midwest goes, so goes the presidency."

ISU political experts on election year issues.

Lowry

"Given the difficulties of polling in the age of cell phones and the numbers of new voters that both parties claim to have registered, it's extremely difficult to predict the popular vote for president," says ISU political scientist Robert Lowry. "If the polls indicate a strong last-minute trend in battleground states, that will probably be an indicator of the outcome, but otherwise, we will just have to wait and see."

ISU political experts on election year issues.

Conger

"Voter registration is breaking records in almost every state," says ISU political scientist Kimberly Conger. "Since about 85 percent of people who are registered actually vote in national elections, we could see record voter turnout, as well. High turnout usually favors Democrats, but as we saw in 2000, in what state those Democrats vote could have the biggest impact of all."

ISU political experts on election year issues.

Dearin

"Since Richard Nixon in 1960, it has been customary for nomination accepters in both parties to include in their speeches 'personal vision statements' of the American dream," says ISU political scientist Ray Dearin. "Republicans have stressed the pioneer, individual liberty, and 'opportunity society'; Democrats have leaned toward the immigrant, 'huddled masses,' and communitarian version. Expect this trend to continue in New York."

ISU political experts on election year issues.

Bystrom

"The Bush/Cheney campaign is doing more than it did four years ago to try to win the women's vote," says ISU political scientist Dianne Bystrom. "This includes a greater reliance on the president's wife to campaign. For example, she is featured in an ad on the Bush campaign's Web site devoted to women, talking about the administration's record on education."

ISU political experts on election year issues.