By Jeff Oliver
jeff@newsroom.byu.edu
For the most part there are two types of professional election predictors: those with Ph.D's and university offices, and those with paranormal powers and 1-900 numbers.
Both are in high demand.
With the polls predicating post-presidential-election disappointment for just under 50 percent of America, a number of voters are in need of a little pre-election confirmation.
Fortunately few things bring out the soothsayer in political scientists, mathematicians, clairvoyants and astrologers like a neck and neck presidential poll.
Unfortunately, the political prophesiers seem to be having as difficult a time coming to a consensus as the voters.
For example, according to Horoscopes from the Heavens, George W. Bush, a Cancer, will find 'opportunity and success go hand in hand' on Wednesday. Furthermore, seven is Bush's lucky number for November.
Good news for Bush.
However, the same horoscope predicts Al Gore, an Aries, will find his communication skills peaking on Tuesday, and his 'high-energy days' running from Election Day to Friday. More importantly, Gore is scheduled to have a good day at work on Wednesday.
Tough to call.
Other forecasters are willing to take a more definitive stand.
Since the day Bush became the republican candidate for president, Allan Lichtman, historian and political scientist at American University, has said he knows who will win Tuesday night.
Lichtman is the author of 'Keys to the White House,' a series of 13 questions whose answers he says correctly predict victory or defeat for the incumbent party.
The questions are based on Lichtman's historical and political knowledge and the mathematical models of Victoria Keilis-Borok, a geophysicists and leading predictor of earthquakes at the University of Moscow, Russia.
In a webcast interview with Sam Donaldson, Lichtman said he had applied the theory retroactively to every presidential contest since bipartisan politics began to define American elections. Lichtman said the 'keys' successfully named the winner of each of those elections.
Lichtman's prediction for this Election Day: Gore - hands down.
Tina Lee of San Francisco agrees with Lichtman. However, her prediction has little to do with history and less to do with math.
According to Lee's Web site, she was born with the natural gifts of spiritual healing and clairvoyance.
Due to an early-morning vision in which Lee said she saw a figure resembling Al Gore standing over the White House, Lee advised voters to 'get ready for Al Gore to be the next president of the United States.'
In a written explanation, Lee said the figure was simply too tall and too dark to be George W. Bush.
Ron Faucheux, editor-in-chief of Campaigns and Elections magazine, and professor of political management at Georgetown University, disagrees.
Faucheux is producer of The Political Oddsmaker, an online election handicapping service.
Since the 1996 election year Faucheux has made over 1,000 election predictions, and boasts 98 percent accuracy in predicting the winners, according to campaignline.com.
As of Sunday, Faucheux favored Bush, 50 to 49, over Gore. Fauchaux gave Buchanan a one in 3000 chance of winning, somewhat smaller then Nader's one in 1000.
In spite of Fauchaux's odds, Kelli Fox, celebrity astrologer for astrozine-astrology.com, has hinted at a possible upset.
On her Web-site Fox said, 'Transiting Uranus will be conjunct his natal North Node on November 7.'
This very well could bring more votes then anyone expects for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader, according to Fox.
Though it is somewhat difficult to interpret the effects of all the planetary placements, Fox said the astrological indicators validate the political polls in what they call for a tight race.
Whatever the outcome, Fox concluded, Gore will be left feeling satisfied with his performance, and Bush will 'experience the results of the election on a deeper level then simply 'win or lose.''
Along with her revealing presidential predictions, Fox offered a peek at the astrological secrets of 'smooth NBA superstar Kobe Bryant and tech guru Bill Gates.'
Voters who are still worried about throwing away their vote may want to rely on the one political prognosticator who never minces words.
When asked if Gore would be triumphant on Tuesday, Internet Magic Eight Ball replied: 'don't count on it.'