Editor's note: To get you in the mood for ballot-casting, The Latest Word is kicking off each weekday between now and the November 4 election with Buttoned Up, a look at political buttons from my family's extensive collection...

The buttons pressed to promote the 1988 presidential team of Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen are among the most elegantly designed in recent decades. Turns out, though, that good graphics aren't the key to electoral victory... -- Michael Roberts

• Sports