400,000 votes already cast

Looks more and more like the recall election -- if it's allowed to go ahead -- will be a landmark of sorts for voter turnout, as some enthusiasts have predicted. Some 400,000 marked absentee ballots have already been returned, Rick Orlov says in the L.A. Daily News. Two million voters have asked to vote absentee, with two more weeks to request a ballot. In Los Angeles County the requests are running half again ahead of last year's election. The Field Poll's Mark DiCamillo tells Orlov:

"This is the most phenomenal election event we've seen in years."

Speaking of the recall, CityBeat's Dennis Romero interviews the blogging Loyola Law professor Rich Hasen, who has joined the national pundit ranks with his analysis of election law. Meanwhile, Kaus beats up on Hasen for urging the election delay, and The Condor bops Kaus for suggesting the L.A. Times Poll was rigged.

Edited 1:45 a.m.