You - yes, you - could cast the ballot that hands the presidency to Barack Obama or John McCain. Just don't bet on it.

Working with computer models developed by the political analysts at fivethirtyeight.com, Andrew Gelman, a Columbia University professor, figured the odds of the presidential election actually being decided by an individual voter in Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia or New Hampshire.

His estimate? The Web site reports that you have a roughly one-in-10-million chance of being the voter who actually swings the election.

One and only debate

Candidates seeking the 5th Congressional District seat will meet for their one and only debate Thursday.

Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn and Democrat Hal Bidlack, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, will face off at 7 p.m. at Sand Creek High School, 7005 N. Carefree Circle. Doors open at 6 p.m.

American Constitution candidate Brian Scott and write-in candidate Richard Hand also might attend.

"Stonewall" Balink

El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Bob Balink is "stonewalling" Ethics Watch, a government watchdog organization, over its request for his Election Day plan.
The nonprofit wants to know how he plans to print extra ballots and deliver them to polling places, said Ethics Watch attorney Chantell Taylor, but Balink won't give them the information.

"What is he hiding?" Taylor said. She noted her open-records request was submitted Oct. 7. The law requires a response within three days unless extenuating circumstances require more time.

"We're calling on Balink to comply with the open records law and release the information so the public can assess and there can be transparency about how he plans to handle the Election Day process," she said.

County officials didn't respond to a request for comment.

Out-of-state money

Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, received 70 percent of campaign contributions from out-of-state donors from January 2005 through December 2007, according to MAPLight.org, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research group.

That was the highest percentage among the Colorado delegation and brought Lamborn the rank of 91st out of 421 House members. Other Colorado members' out-of-state donations accounted for from 47 percent to 69 percent of their totals.

Ed Perlmutter, a Democrat representing the 7th District, received 90 percent of his donations from out-of-district donors, the highest percentage among Colorado's House members. Lowest was Diana DeGette, D-Denver, at 76 percent. Lamborn got 82 percent of his donations from donors outside the district.

Contact info

El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa is using his county e-mail address and county phone number as contacts for voters to obtain information about the county's ballot measure 1A on the Web site, http://www.voteyeson1a.com/, sponsored by the measure's advocates.

After a pitch for a "yes" vote, Maketa offers his county phone, 520-7212 and e-mail, TerryMaketa@elpasoco.com.

"It's inappropriate for Sheriff Maketa to be distributing his government-issued e-mail and phone number on a Web site advocating in favor of a ballot issue," Ethics Watch attorney Chantell Taylor said in an e-mail. "Although public officials are not prohibited from expressing their personal opinions on a ballot issue, they cannot expend more than $50 of public resources doing so. Taxpayers do not pay for Sheriff Maketa to be campaigning on ballot issues by fielding calls and e-mails from voters."

Maketa said he didn't realize the county contact information was on the Web site until The Gazette called his attention to it.

"I will be looking into it," he said in an e-mail.