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Voters have been bombarded by political ads, but some topics have gotten very little attention this election season. Host Michel Martin speaks with a panel of journalists about some of this election's hidden issues. She speaks with NPR's Marilyn Geewax, Jennifer Ludden, and David Schaper, as well as The Washington Post's Melinda Henneberger.

Severe weather could be headed for regions hard hit by superstorm Sandy, so many homeowners are scrambling to make repairs. The rush might make them vulnerable to so-called storm chasers — con artists posing as contractors. Host Michel Martin speaks with Angie Hicks, founder of the website Angie's List, for tips on how to avoid home repair scams.

A lot of kids hate homework, and studies show they're getting more of it than ever. But experts are questioning whether the work is worth it. Host Michel Martin discusses the debate over homework with a panel of parents, including regular contributor Jolene Ivey, psychologist Kenneth Goldberg and educator Stephen Jones.

A U.N special envoy says fighting is so entrenched in Syria that it could face 'Somalization'.

An explosive-filled car was detonated near an Army base in Baghdad today, just as would-be recruits gathered outside. The explosion killed at least 26 people, reports The New York Times. Reuters puts the death toll at 31.

Reuters reports that this is "one of the worst attacks this year on [Iraq's] military."

The wire service adds:

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Next, we go to Des Moines, Iowa where Sadhya Dirks of Iowa Public Radio joins us. Good morning.

SADHYA DIRKS, BYLINE: Morning.

MONTAGNE: And where did you start out this morning? I gather it wasn't Des Moines.

DIRKS: I was in a suburb of Des Moines. It's a more conservative part of Des Moines. It's Johnston, Iowa and I was at the Evangelical Free Church there, just talking to some voters and seeing what the turnout was like.

MONTAGNE: And what was it?

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan cast his vote in his home state of Wisconsin this morning. To learn more about voting in that battleground state on this Election Day, we reached Shawn Johnson of Wisconsin Public Radio. He's in the town of Middleton, just outside the state capital, Madison. Good morning.

SHAWN JOHNSON, BYLINE: Good morning.

MONTAGNE: Well, tell us a little about Middleton - partly what the scene is there, but also what kind of place is it?

Depression is the most costly among 10 common risk factors linked to higher health spending on employees, according to a new study drawn from the experience at seven companies.

The analysis, published in the journal Health Affairs, found that these factors — which also included obesity, high blood sugar and high blood pressure — were associated with nearly a quarter of the money spent on the health care of more than 92,000 workers.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep. Good morning. People have been joking for weeks that the candidates are actually running for president of Ohio. That's how vital the state is, but here's a reminder about the electoral map. It is at least theoretically possible for either candidate to lose Ohio and still reach 270 electoral votes by winning some combination of other states. Many of those combinations include Florida.