All signs are pointing to a surge in turnout today. One obvious conclusion is that tough, vigorous and, yes, partisan campaigns about important issues are in some ways a very good thing. There’s just no question that colorful, high stakes races like Kerry/Bush boost turnout. The emotional politics of the Gilded Age, for instance, helped fuel the highest voting rates in US history. But the problem is that it’s easiest to mobilize people with scare tactics and vitriolic partisanship that ultimately damage the legitimacy of the system as a whole. So how do we square the circle? That’s the question we face going forward.