Halloween and the Presidential Election come within a few days of each other this year. Is there any connection between the costumes people choose and the outcome of elections?

This year Halloween retailers are saying there is an explosion of orders for Barack Obama Masks, John McCain masks and Sarah Palin costumes. Since Obama and McCain basically wear suits, there is no real need for a complicated costume. A standard dress suit worn with a purchased mask does the trick. Go online and look at pictures of your favorite presidential candidate. Pay close attention to the type of shoe, shirt and tie he typically wears. You might even want to add a campaign button to promote your favorite party.

The surprise costume of this Halloween is the Sarah Palin costume. People can’t get enough of her. Supporters are thrilled to have a competent woman candidate for the VP position. Governor Palin is an attractive woman and former beauty pageant winner. Those who love her concentrate on her professional image. Hair, makeup, grooming is always perfect. She is professional looking, yet retains her feminine side. A nice switch from Hillary, in my opinion. Hillary avoided her feminine side, almost trying to hide it beneath the constant pant suits. Sarah Palin flaunts her feminine side, but always with a professional demeanor. Those who want to spoof Sarah Palin take a different approach. They take the standard Palin hair (wigs are great) but add a beauty pageant tiara to the mix. Put on a red ribbon announcing that she won first prize, and they have now taken a professional image down to a few notches. The beauty pageant Palin looks more like she should be in a cosmetic commercial rather than a professional ready to be Vice-President.

Many believe that the candidate whose costume sells the best is the one that will win the election. So, is there any real evidence of that? A major survey is conducted each election year. The Spirit Halloween Presidential Index has shown results that would indicate that it might be accurate over the past few years. In 2004, the George W. Bush mask outsold the John Kerry mask; in 2000, the George W. Bush mask outsold the Al Gore mask, and in 1996 the Clinton mask heavily outsold the Bob Dole mask. Coincidence? It will be interesting to see whether this year follows that trend.

The mask factor is good news for Obama so far. After the first month of Halloween 2008, Barack Obama and John McCain mask sales show Obama is leading at 67% while McCain has 33%. There is still a month until election day so anything can happen during that time.

Most important, regardless of which candidate you support, remember to “Get Out and Vote”. Voting is a privilege in our society. Nothing is more important than casting your vote on election day. Remember, the election was decided in 2004 by an extremely small margin – every vote does make a difference. So support your favorite candidate by buying his mask for Halloween and then voting for him on November 4.