Entertainment news sources are now reporting that Al Jean, producer of "The Simpsons," now in its 20th season, is saying that Homer Simpson will attempt to vote for Barack Obama in the show's upcoming annual "Treehouse of Horror" Halloween special.
"He says it's time for change. He's going to vote Obama," executive producer Al Jean says.
But it's the annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode of "The Simpsons," and the machine repeatedly gives Homer's vote to John McCain. Finally, the voting machine tries to kill Homer.
This bit of election-year comedy is not meant to be an endorsement of the Illinois Senator, Jean said, but a commentary on voting irregularities.
But this got me thinking. Is Homer Simpson a Democrat? A Republican? An independent? Is he even registered?
In episode 3F20, "Much Apu About Nothing," where Springfield mulls a state question that would deport all illegal immigrants, Homer states that he is not registered to vote.
In a more recent episode, Homer campaigned for Krusty the Clown (who ran as a Republican) and was revealed to be a Fox News viewer.
Homer is also a former homophobe who has enjoyed the right-wing radio broadcasts of Birchibald T. Barlow, Springfield's answer to Rush Limbaugh.
Homer is pro-gun rights and a lifetime member of the NRA, saying, "A gun is not a weapon. It's a tool. Like a harpoon or a machete or... an alligator."
Homer worked as a bodyguard for Springfield Mayor "Diamond" Joe Quimby, a Democrat, also rescuing actor Mark Hamill from a flock of angry nerds.
However, he's also gotten into a fistfight with former President Bush, and didn't even know the name of former Republican presidential nominee, Sen. Bob Dole.
While Homer is willing to believe in the supernatural (finding what he believed to a be a dead angel fossil that he then charged people to view in his garage), he has often stated that he doesn't even "believe in Jeebus."
In moments of crisis, though, Homer is not above a last-minute conversion: "Jesus, Allah, Buddha! I love you all!"
Socially speaking, Homer is the only (legitimate) son of a former '60s radical and a WWII veteran.
Homer is a Yellow-American of 36 years and 239 to 260 pounds (or, as his drivers license says, 130 pounds). He returned to college later in life to get a degree in nuclear physics -- although he was already working at the plant at the time.
As a nuclear safety inspector, Homer's take-home pay would easily be in the six-digit area.
Homer has also held down an astonishing 188 jobs, including snow-plow operator, astronaut, food critic, bowling alley worker, farmer, trucker, union representative and blogger. However, these jobs seldom last very long.
He has traveled the world, going to Australia, England, Africa, Japan, Alaska, Brazil, and other places.
Homer and his family have been banned from every state in the US, except North Dakota and Arizona, rejecting the latter because Homer doesn't like its smell.
Here's Homer Simpson in his own words:
"Lisa, if the Bible has taught us nothing else, and it hasn't, it's that girls should stick to girls sports, such as hot oil wrestling and foxy boxing and such and such."
"Getting out of jury duty is easy. The trick is to say you're prejudiced against all races."
"I'm not normally a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me, Superman!"
"Son, when you participate in sporting events, it's not whether you win or lose; it's how drunk you get."
"Look, the thing about my family is there's five of us. Marge, Bart, Girl Bart, the one who doesn't talk, and the fat guy. How I loathe him."
"But Marge, what if we chose the wrong religion? Each week we just make God madder and madder."
So what do you say? Which candidate would Homer most want to have a Duff with? What party, if any, does he belong to?