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?

Obama Halloween masks, John McCain masks and Sarah Palin costumes are flying out-of-the-door. Sorry, Senator Biden - you just don’t seem to be inspiring Halloween purchases this year. So what are people using to transform themselves into their favorite presidential candidate? Obama supporters are mixing a store bought full mask with a standard dark suit. Dark black or dark blue both work. They need to look well tailored. McCain supporters are also starting out with a good McCain mask and a dark business suit. People can look at a few YouTube videos to see how their favorite Presidential candidate dresses.

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.

So are political Halloween masks just pure fun, or could there be something more important going on? There are many who believe that the best selling political Halloween mask is a sure predictor of the winner of the Presidential election. Is there any evidence for that claim? Well, there might be. The Spirit Halloween Presidential Index keeps a tally of the number of political masks sold during an election year, and that tally can easily be compared to the Presidential results. In the past three elections, the top selling mask predicted the Presidential winner in all cases. The George W. Bush mask outsold the John Kerry mask in 2004 and outsold the Al Gore mask in 2000. The Bill Clinton mask massively outsold the Bob Dole mask in 1996. What could that mean for this year’s election?

If there is any truth to the mask theory of predicting elections, then this is good news for the Obama team so far. As of the beginning of October, the Obama mask sales are leading the McCain mask sales by a factor of 67% to 33%. Since the election is still several weeks away, this could change quickly so it pays to keep an eye on “mask” sales this Halloween.

In conclusion, be sure to support your favorite Presidential candidate by voting on November 4. Election Day is a day where we can show our thanks for living in a democratic society where it is our right and privilege to cast our vote. And, just for extra luck, wear his mask this Halloween.