It lacked the intense, heightened atmosphere that surrounded the last election in 2005, when the long-drawn-out agony of John Paul II had suffused the Catholic world in grief and gratitude.
"An Invitation to Joy" brings together a selection of Pope John Paul II's messages with the most poignant photographs documenting his life both before and after his election to the papacy.
Instead, Article II of the Constitution empowers each state (and the District of Columbia) to conduct its own election, which is why there are variations in voter registration laws, early voting, the use of voting machines, etc.