Do you ever get the feeling that the only reason we have elections is to find out if the polls were right? The question, originally asked by American comedy writer and speaker Robert Orben, seems especially relevant this year. We've been speculating for months over what certain election results will mean on the national level, devouring and extrapolating the information in every poll available and now we have nothing to do but wait (not very patiently) to find out what the actual results, referendums and mandates will be.

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Third party candidates have made at least two elections more interesting than usual this year. Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman has a strong chance of actually winning his race to represent New York's Congressional District 23 and Independent Chris Daggett, while he has no real chance to win, has made a decent showing in polls for the New Jersey gubernatorial race. This reminds me of another election-related quote; this one by former president John Quincy Adams: "Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."

There's been much discussion for decades in this country that we need a new national party in this country. Perhaps candidates like Hoffman and Daggett are taking us a step closer to that happening.

But on this Election Day, and while I'm on the subject of election-related quotes, I'd like to cite one more with which I especially agree. It comes from former political commentator and White House press secretary Tony Snow who said "Voting is a right best exercised by people who have taken time to learn about the issues."