Update: Make that a different party running both the House and Senate. And one issue that is sure to heat up is the debate over H-1B visas. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has been speaking out about the need to ease limits on the number of visas granted, or even do away with them. Meanwhile WashTech today sent out a message to members to urge their elected officials to "End Corporate War on High-Tech Workers."

Now that the election is over, I have been wondering what it means for technology, and what effect technology has had on the election.

Some conclusions:

Electronic voting is not ready for prime time.

Bloggers probably didn't have as much impact on individual races this time around. Drilling down into details didn't seem to matter as much to voters preoccupied by the larger issue of war in Iraq.

But they did a great job pointing out weaknesses in the voting system.

The Web can be a useful tool to collect information on voting irregularities across the country.

Regardless of political affiliation, it seems clear that this country needs to make it a whole lot easier for people to exercise their right to vote. Maybe the right technology can help.

Technology policy doesn't seem like it will shift dramatically with a different party running the House. Too many tech issues cut across party lines.