(Pictured: Collee McCinty, Linda Foster, Mary Vincent, Judy Hamblin, Peggy Rosch. All were at the Galleria in Henderson, NV, voting early this year.)

The 2008 CMJ Music Marathon has attracted more than 1,000 artists. The annual New York music festival has a national reputation for showcasing new bands. Takeaway musician Jack Grace put his twenty years of experience of playing at CMJ to good use this week. After spending a few nights checking out the groups who are getting all the music industry buzz, he reports back on this year's "it" band.

Barack Obama's run for the White House might be hurt by racist voters, but The Takeaway talks with University of Wisconsin professor Charles Franklin who's finding more people fearful of blacks are willing to vote blue.

Early voters are turning out like never before, which could lead to a record-setting overall election turnout. Why is it happening? A black presidential candidate (Barack Obama), a female presidential candidate (ultimately, not Hillary Clinton), an energizing and polarizing VP candidate (Sarah Palin)? And what does the high turnout mean?

This week, public radio's This American Life goes to the ultimate battleground state, Pennsylvania, to find out why Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and Republican candidate John McCain think they can win there and to meet some of the citizens doing on-the-ground campaigning. Host Ira Glass tells The Takeaway what they learned.

Yale Law School professor Heather Gerken is an election law expert who says the U.S. election system is in rough shape. She has some simple ideas on how to fix it. Heather Gerken took your questions on the voting process and election reform. View the archived Q&A here.

More voters are sending in absentee ballots in 2008 as a way to beat the lines on Election Day. But some absentee voters are worried that if their ballots are sent with the wrong postage, they'll be returned, meaning their votes won't count. The Takeaway finds out what happens to a ballot with insufficient postage.