Venezuela vote: Could anger over violence, shortages shift political tide?

On a recent Sunday, volunteers were sitting under a red tarp in the capital's shopping district burning up the phones – cajoling people to abandon their weekend plans and come out to "vote." That there was nothing to vote for – that this was simply a drill, five weeks before the Dec. 6 legislative election – was one more sign about how much the ruling party has riding on the ballot. For the first time in more than a decade, all major polls show that the opposition is running far ahead in next month's legislative races. More…