Today's Feature
Spike in Voter Registration.

Reports in national news show a significant increase in voter registration over last term’s elections, and an increase in many larger cities over the previous 20 years. This spike is attributed largely to the poor turnout of the 2000 election and hundreds of new activist organizations raising awareness and prompting people to voice their opinion.

In Carthage, the Jasper County Election and Voter Registration Office has been working very hard to keep up with the registrations that are "pouring in," according to an employee. Registered voters in Jasper County for the year 2000 were 67,251, and 72,656 in 2002. In 2004, as of the August Primary, registration was 77,870. The county increase is a contrast to the statewide total of registered voters which dropped from 3,860,672 in 2000 to 3,511,894 in 2004.

There is doubt among statistician that high voter registration will necessarily lead to higher voting rates. In the 1998 general election 39% of the voting age population (VAP) cast a ballot. In the 2000 Presidential election only 57.5 percent of the VAP voted.

Republicans are also gatherin’ in newly registered voters, as are Independents and other parties.

‘Course bein’ registered and votin’, as the front page suggests, are two different things. The real challenge is gettin’ those registered voters to the polls.

Historically Jasper County does better than most in percentages of voters to the polls, although its record has a lot of room for improvement. This may be a record year for all parties involved.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Mornin' Mail

Here's a Tip

By JoAnn Derson

• "When traveling with a pet, try this trick for a spill-proof water bowl: Use a good-quality Tupperware-like container that is of appropriate size. You can fill it halfway and the dog can drink directly from it. When he is done, just seal it back up. It’s better than carrying a bottle of water and a bowl, since you have to dump out the extra water the dog doesn’t drink and somehow dry the bowl if you do it that way." — Max in Georgia

• If you want a great product to smooth calluses and rehydrate tough skin, look no further than plain old petroleum jelly. Slather it on your feet before bed, cover with socks and wake up to feet that feel great.

• "Hair spray is the best thing to get ink off of skin. It also works on a lot of fabrics. You have to blot with a white paper towel (don’t use one with designs printed, since the color might bleed)." — L.G. in Alaska

• Use a leftover lemon wedge to freshen your garbage disposal. Cut it up into small pieces, throw them down the disposal and flick on the switch.

• "I save packaging to use in craft projects. Old magazine cutouts can be pretty when used for scrapbooking or to make homemade cards." — R.F. in Arizona

• "If you have a lot of seed packets to store, use an accordion folder from the office-supply store. I like to separate mine alphabetically so I can get just what I need when I need it, without going through all the packets. You also could put them together by fruits, vegetables, flowers, etc. — Garden Bug in Pennsylvania