6:30 p.m.- Mellow Valley

I barely pulled off a close dodge around an opossum, quickly followed by a rolling beer can, on a dark Alabama 49 going south toward Mellow Valley. The high school cafeteria was getting ready to close up shop. Out of 382 registered voters, only 234 came in today. Bud was there, the mail carrier, talking about the loads of mud-slinging political mail he had been obliged to deliver over the past month - more than ever, he said.

That got us talking about the state of elections, and the level of disgust was palpable. "People are sick of it," said Peggy, one of the poll workers. "Lots of folks just decide they aren't going to vote anymore." The poll workers, Bud, and a couple other voters in the cafeteria agreed that the political back talk is a big reason why voters are turned off, and turnout has been low this year. Voters are sick of hearing insults, sick of phone calls to the house right after the kids are finally in bed, and sick of pollers calling them with personal questions. "It's time for voters to stand up and call for a change by writing in candidates," Peggy said.

The worst part is, it's hard to understand what candidates stand for. Most of what you learn during campaign season, said one voter, is "nobody stands for nothing." But Bud disagreed: "They stand for a dollar if they can get one." Voters are having a hard time figuring out what "the issues" are or who is good for their county - because politicians are too busy insulting the other guy. The group said they don't know who to trust for information. So, they vote for incumbents if they have done something good, or they vote for the other guy if they haven't seen results. Mostly, they vote against people, not for them.

And you? Post your comments below, guys and gals! The election is over and machines are a-countin', but the state of our nation is not going away...the conversation continues.

-Amanda