This is the haiku I wrote 20 years ago about the solution California’s Acting Secretary of State Tony Miller came up with about his concern that voters would stay home on Nov. 8 watching the Simpson trial on TV instead of going to the polls:
Tony Miller wants
Recess on election day.
A nation transfixed.
8/8/94
He asked Simpson trial judge, Lance Ito, to suspend court for two days–election day and the day before–thus remove the temptation for people to follow the trial instead of getting out to vote.
Ironically, whether or not the trial, and ongoing pretrial proceedings, should even be televised was the subject of a hearing and ruling on those two days.
Anatomy of a Trial blog 