The final week of a presidential campaign is usually the roughest, and this election is no exception. An apparent attempt to suppress the vote has been uncovered in Virginia - a traditionally safe Republican state where Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama now holds a healthy lead.

A flier is being circulated in the Hampton Roads area telling supporters of Obama's Democratic party that they should vote on Nov. 5 - which is actually the day after the election.



State police are looking into the flier. It is a crime to communicate false information about election dates and times, but the tactic is not unprecedented.

According to reports, fliers are circulating in parts of Philadelphia with large African-American populations warning that anyone with outstanding tickets or warrants will be arrested when they show up to vote.

And Brad Friedman at the Brad Blog has collected examples of similar fliers that were distributed during the 2004 election in Wisconsin and the crucial state of Ohio.