On November 4, Americans go to the polls to pick their new President. Four days earlier, adults go out trick-or-treating, many of them wearing costumes that represent their view of the current Presidential or Vice-Presidential candidates. Is there a correlation between their choice of Halloween costume and their more important choice of President?

With Halloween so close, retailers can hardly keep up with the demand for political costumes. The Barack Obama mask gives a great presentation of a smiling Obama. The McCain mask is also very life-like and supporters are happy to wear this image of their candidate. If you are putting together an outfit to go with your favorite candidate’s mask, don’t forget to accessorize with a variety of styles. Find out if he wears a certain type of hat or belt and add that to your costume. You can find a variety of ties, which are optional, to add to your costume.

A Sarah Palin costume consists of the “beehive” wig, glasses, and a campaign button. Depending on whether the purchaser is pro or con Palin, they might add some other touches. What are people saying when they don these costumes? Sarah Palin supporters will show her competency. A business suit, a tasteful brooch or simple necklace, and those hot high heeled shoes make a great costume for a Palin supporter. On the other hand, those wanting to spoof Palin are wearing a tiara, a beauty pageant ribbon, or they have her toting a gun for one of her legendary hunting trips. As they say, the accessories are everything.

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 mask sales todate are any indicator, this is a good thing for Obama. While 67% of the Presidential masks sold are Obama masks, only 33% are McCain masks. But don’t get too carried away with predictors. The only count that really means anything is the final count on Election Day. Even so, you McCain supporters better start buying some masks!

Whether you believe in the mask theory for predicting Presidential elections or not, it is so important that you support your favorite candidate this year. Be sure to vote. The last election was won by such a small margin that it had to be taken to the Supreme Court. Don’t let that happen again. And, just for good luck, wear your candidate’s mask for Halloween. There just might be some truth to the mask theory.