The language file for blogs is in mod/blogs/languages. Modifying the language file should change the text shown on the screen at least. It will not change the url part "blogs" though. If this should be changed also you would need to modify the blog plugin more or less completely.

There might be some other plugins that also contain language strings connected to "blogs". This depends on what plugins you use. Maybe you need to modify some other language files, too.

@iionly... If @bliggitty copied all of mod/blogs/ to mod/voting and in the new Voting plugin renamed every reference to blogs, voting. Is that a feasible way of creating a plugin?

@Burgs : yup. See http://docs.elgg.org/wiki/Tutorials/Blog

i dont care abuot the URL, I just need the name changed...thanks so much!!

If you do care about the url, there's a plugin for that: http://community.elgg.org/pg/plugins/project/854839/developer/Beck24/pagehandler-hijack-18x

if want to -- I would like to change the word "Blog" in my menu, etc to the word "Voting."
GO TO
YourElggDomainRootFolder/mod/blog/languages/en.php and you will see stuff like :-

$english = array(
    'blog' => 'Blogs',
    'blog:blogs' => 'Blogs',
    'blog:revisions' => 'Revisions',
    'blog:archives' => 'Archives',
    'blog:blog' => 'Blog',
    'item:object:blog' => 'Blogs',

Change 'Blogs' to Voting' and you're done ;-) IIOnly toldya before !
If you " have to change the language file, but I cannot find it there. "
--> look harder on your server @ftp ;-P

Just to clarify what Dhrup is saying there - only change the 'Blogs' to 'Voting' on the right side of the =>

Ok, so I failed with this.  let me show you my language file. 

<?php
/**
* Blog English language file.
*
*/

$english = array(
'blog' => 'Vote',
'blog:blogs' => 'Votes',
'blog:revisions' => 'Vote Revisions',
'blog:archives' => 'Archives',
'blog:blog' => 'Vote',
'item:object:blog' => 'Vote',

'blog:title:user_blogs' => '%s\'s Vote',
'blog:title:all_blogs' => 'All site Votes',
'blog:title:friends' => 'Friends\' blogs',

'blog:group' => 'Group Vote',
'blog:enableblog' => 'Enable group Vote',
'blog:write' => 'Write a Vote',

// Editing
'blog:add' => 'Add Vote',
'blog:edit' => 'Edit Vote',
'blog:excerpt' => 'Excerpt',
'blog:body' => 'Body',
'blog:save_status' => 'Last saved: ',
'blog:never' => 'Never',

// Statuses
'blog:status' => 'Status',
'blog:status:draft' => 'Draft',
'blog:status:published' => 'Published',
'blog:status:unsaved_draft' => 'Unsaved Draft',

'blog:revision' => 'Revision',
'blog:auto_saved_revision' => 'Auto Saved Revision',

// messages
'blog:message:saved' => 'Vote saved.',
'blog:error:cannot_save' => 'Cannot save Votet.',
'blog:error:cannot_write_to_container' => 'Insufficient access to save Vote to group.',
'blog:messages:warning:draft' => 'There is an unsaved draft of this post!',
'blog:edit_revision_notice' => '(Old version)',
'blog:message:deleted_post' => 'Vote deleted.',
'blog:error:cannot_delete_post' => 'Cannot delete Vote.',
'blog:none' => 'No blog posts',
'blog:error:missing:title' => 'Please enter a Vote title!',
'blog:error:missing:description' => 'Please enter the body of your Vote!',
'blog:error:cannot_edit_post' => 'This post may not exist or you may not have permissions to edit it.',
'blog:error:revision_not_found' => 'Cannot find this revision.',

// river
'river:create:object:blog' => '%s published a New Vote %s',
'river:comment:object:blog' => '%s commented on the Vote %s',

// notifications
'blog:newpost' => 'A new Vote',
'blog:notification' =>
'
%s made a new blog post.

%s
%s

View and comment on the new blog post:
%s
',

// widget
'blog:widget:description' => 'Display Votes',
'blog:numbertodisplay' => 'Number of Votes to display',
'blog:noblogs' => 'No Vote post'
);

add_translation('en', $english);

So there ya go.  and that did not change anything

u r kidding !!! ;-oP
i got this :-
$english = array(
    'blog' => 'ABlog',
    'blog:blogs' => 'ABlogs',
and.. it woiky oki....
simplecache ?!