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" A proposed law passed recently in the state House is intended to make the process more convenient, boost voter turnout and cut the state's costs to register voters, said its main sponsor, State Rep. Lesia Liss, D-Warren. "You can register online for selective service, we pay our taxes online," she said. "So why not make online voter registration a priority as well?" (emphasis added) Registering for selective service and paying taxes on line is a weak argument. No one is going to register an extra six times for selective service and no one is going pay taxes two or three times. However, people will try to vote more than once."

"PORTLAND, Ore.-Oregon voters approved two special tax measures Tuesday designed to close a $733 million state budget gap. With 80% of the expected vote tallied, the Associated Press reported "yes" voters for Measures 66 and 67 garnered about 54% of Oregon's mail-in ballots. Elections here are by mailed ballot only. Tuesday was the last day ballots could be cast. Measure 66 increases Oregon's personal-income-tax rate by two percentage points for households earning over $250,000 a year. Measure 67 calls for an increase in the state's minimum corporate income tax, currently $10 a year, and imposes a tax on gross revenues for corporations that do not report a profit. The Oregon Legislature approved both tax increases last year, however opponents of the measures-chiefly business groups-sponsored a referendum campaign to put them to a statewide vote. Voters in this heavily Democratic state supported the legislators. "Passage of these measures means we keep core services of education, health care and public safety that Oregon families, businesses, and communities count on," said Oregon House Speaker Dave Hunt, a Democrat who represents Clackamas County. Defeat, he said, would have forced the state to cut nearly a billion dollars more from such services. The twin ballot measures also served as a gauge of anti-business populism and highlighted a nationwide debate over whether to fix state budgets by targeting the affluent. But they also fueled resentment of "tax and spend" legislators, as well as public-employee unions whose members enjoy job security at a time when thousands here have lost jobs. "

"As Barack Obama enters his second year in office amid an enduring economic downturn, voters are less optimistic about his ability to succeed and no longer clearly favor keeping the Democrats in control of Congress, according to the new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. A surprising win by Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts has the Democratic Senate majority. The News Hub parses the implications for the Obama administration's agenda. The trends point to an increasingly difficult political climate for President Obama as he hopes to push his domestic agenda beyond health care this year and preserve his party's majorities in the House and Senate. The severity of that climate, in fact, was promptly underscored by Democrats' surprising loss of a Senate seat in Massachusetts Tuesday. The seat of the late Edward Kennedy went to a conservative Republican, Scott Brown, in one of the nation's bluest states. That may not be an anomaly. Nationally, the new survey finds, voters now are evenly split over which party they hope will run Capitol Hill after the November elections-the first time Democrats haven't had the edge on that question since December 2003."

"(1/4/10) FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - A new state law attempting to meet the requirements of the Federal Real ID Act instituted by Congress in 2005, now requires Floridians either getting a new license or renewing an expiring license to provide additional documentation to prove their identity before their new license can be issued. Even if a person uses the on-line renewal system or does so by mail, every renewing driver will have to bring at least four items to a local DHSMV/Driver's License office, proving their identity, address and Social Security Number. The DHSMV has set up a convenient website to help customers gather the necessary documents by creating a personalized list of items to bring with them to a driver's license office. Effective January 1, 2010, drivers are required to provide one of the following to establish their identity: a certified, state-issued birth certificate, a valid passport, a counselor report of birth abroad, a certificate of naturalization, or a certificate of citizenship. Expired or expiring driver's licenses/ID cards will not be accepted to prove one's identity. To prove their Social Security Number, they must provide one of the following items: a Social Security Card, a W-2 Form from their employer, a recent pay check, or a Form 1099. Additionally, drivers will have to show two documents to establish their home address, including (but not limited to): a recent mortgage bill or statement, a Florida voter registration card, Florida vehicle registration, a utility hook-up bill no more than 60 days old, a W-2 or 1099 form, recent bank statements,or even a current homeowner's insurance statement or bill. For those minors or dependents who do not have any of these items in their own name, a parent or guardian residing at the same address must accompany the driver and provide proof of their residence. For homeless persons, a letter from a homeless shelter or half-way house is only one of the documents allowed. Mail received from s

"BOSTON - Republican Scott Brown, fresh from a stunning Massachusetts Senate victory that shook the power balance on Capitol Hill, declared Wednesday that his election had sent a "very powerful message" that voters are weary of backroom deals and Washington business-as-usual. Democrats scrambled to explain the loss, which imperils President Barack Obama's agenda for health care and other hard-fought domestic issues. Republicans greeted their victory with clear glee. "The president ought to take this as a message to recalibrate how he wants to govern, and if he wants to govern from the middle we'll meet him there," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Obama said the Massachusetts vote reflected the mood around the country. "People are angry, and they're frustrated," he said in an interview with ABC News. Democrats still exercise majority control over both the House and Senate. But Tuesday's GOP upset to win the seat long held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy - following Republican victories in Virginia and New Jersey last fall for gubernatorial seats that had been held by Democrats - signals challenges for Democratic prospects in midterm elections this year. Even when the economy is not bad, the party holding the White House historically loses seats in midterms. "If there's anybody in this building that doesn't tell you they are more worried about elections today, you should absolutely slap them," Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri told reporters at the Capitol. "Of course everybody is more worried about elections. Are you kidding? It's what this place thrives on." Brown, in his first meeting with reporters after the special election, portrayed his victory as less a referendum on Obama or the president's health care proposal and more of a sign that people are tired of Washington politics and dealmaking. He said his victory sends "a very powerful message that business-as-usual is just not going to be the way we do it." "I t