the buzz log

What if they gave an election and nobody came?

For years, that was the political scientists' doomsday scenario, even though the lament over low voter turnout may have been exaggerated. Whatever the case, the primaries have allayed those fears, at least for 2008.

Crabby pundits may feel that the presidential race has been a slog, but the contest has stimulated more than just higher voter participation. Considering how complicated the whole process has turned out to be, voters aren't just getting a civics lesson, but a curriculum re-immersion ranging from algebra to religious studies. Here's a look back at the lessons crammed this primary season via Search:

• Geography: As candidates talked about foreign oil dependence and health insurance on the campaign trail, searchers followed their tracks in state after state, including California, Indiana, and Wyoming. Searchers learned that U.S. territories had delegates, and just where those territories are in the first place (e.g., "where is guam"). Obama's flub in Oregon even spurred queries for "57 states," perhaps in hopes of finding the mythical states of Atlantis and Area 51.


• Mathematics: The Democrats' baffling delegate scenario has turned a perfunctory political exercise into a fraternity initiation process. The delegate situation resulted in algebraic formulas that shifted with every new "delegate count." Another lesson: Polls mislead.


• P.E.: Forget spinning sidekicks. Actor and martial artist Chuck Norris made heads spin with his Mike Huckabee endorsement. On the Democratic side, spectators learned how not to play the game after the "obama bowling" incident.


• Vocabulary: Questions like "define caucus," "what are super delegates," "gop definition," and "define appeasement" peppered the Search box. The race has also led to queries on words we thought we knew: momentum, anyone?


• Gender, Ethnic, Religious, and Class Studies: A crash course had people careening from pastoral rants to blue-collar appeal to white women who may or may not feel betrayed by Oprah.


• Psychology. The Huffington Post has plumbed various aspects, from the psychological dynamics of campaigning to people suffering from "election mania."


• Media Studies. Even as newsrooms slash and burn staff, political news has become hot again, with searche up on sites like "politico," "politicalwire.com," and "cnn politics 2008."

As for whether there we'll be tested on all this stuff—that's already happened. Back in January, voters willingly sought out the "presidential quiz" to find their best candidate match. The answer sheet should be available in November.