election night will be pointless....

Election Day is less than a week away, but Americans may not know the winner for days, if not weeks, after the polls close.

Never before have states faced so many ballots that won't be counted until after Election Day. This year will see the first nationwide use of provisional ballots, for voters whose eligibility is questioned at the polls. How those ballots are counted has already been a matter of dispute. And with participation expected to be high, states are bracing for an unprecedented number of absentee, early-voting, military and overseas ballots that in some states could total more than one-third of votes.

Both campaigns' legal teams are focusing on real and potential problems plaguing a number of states including Ohio, Florida, and five other crucial states. Republicans are poised to challenge voters' legal status, suspecting Democratic fraud. Republicans generally have an interest in damping participation: Larger turnouts typically suggest greater participation from infrequent and downscale voters who tend to vote Democratic.

Democrats are on alert to counter with charges of voter intimidation and civil-rights violations. The potential for confrontations has election officials scrambling to enlist extra police and marshals while at the same time trying to recruit enough workers to handle the expected hordes.

A quagmire like the Florida recount in 2000 would only happen in another close race, one that gives neither candidate a clear majority of Electoral College votes and leaves both fighting for states where results remain uncertain.

"I am really, really worried," says Doug Lewis of the nonpartisan Election Center, an advisory clearinghouse for election officials. "We're all on our knees -- 'Dear Lord, let the winner win big, whoever it is.' "