Your Daily Digest for Wednesday, October 20, 2010:

More than a million ballots cast in Afghanistan’s parliamentary election were thrown out because of fraud, according to the Associated Press. The ballots, which officials claim are fraudulent because of “ballot-box stuffing or re-jiggered totals,” amount to more than a fifth of the total ballots cast. It has yet to be seen how this will affect the election results.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s wife, Virginia, is seeking an apology for sexual assault allegations made against her husband — 19 years after the fact, according to the New York Times.  Anita Hill, who worked with Thomas in 1991, claimed Clarence Thomas often would make sexually explicit comments to her at work. He vehemently denied having done so.  Virginia said she left a message with Hill, which seeks an apology and suggests the two women meet in person, in efforts to extend “an olive branch after all these years.” Hill responded, telling the press she thought the message was “certainly inappropriate” and saying still stands by her allegations in 1991.

Renowned political blogger Nate Silver projected DFL-er Mark Dayton to win the gubernatorial race with 4-1 odds, according to the FiveThirtyEight forecasts. It’s not over, though — as MinnPost’s David Brauer said off the projection, “No October poll gets you elected, even if it influences politicos, journalists and donors.”