Politics

September 17, 2008 - Community organizers across Florida are working hard this election season to register former felons after Florida changed the rules last year to restore the voting rights of about 112,000 former convicts. From the New York Times:

September 17, 2008 - Aside from campaign stops, one of the best ways to tell if a candidate thinks a state is really still in play is TV advertising. If they keep buying ads, it's a sign the campaign thinks it's still at least a worthwhile investment -- especially now, with the conventions over and the 48-day sprint to the elections underway.

September 17, 2008 - Today, Mississippi's state Supreme Court will hear oral arguments about whether state election officials acted improperly by putting the hotly-contested race to replace Sen. Trent Lott (R) at the bottom of the ballot.

September 16, 2008 - Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas yesterday ordered city employees not to talk to reporters, the Galveston County Daily News reports.

September 15, 2008 - The Galveston area of Texas that took a direct hit from Hurricane Ike is home to a top-level biodefense laboratory that studies highly contagious and deadly diseases including bird flu, but lab officials are assuring the public that the pathogens were secured before the storm made landfall.

September 12, 2008 - Florida has found the 3,500 missing ballots. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

September 12, 2008 - The 2008 elections are about more than the White House and Congress. With 13 states nationally facing new critical budget shortfalls -- including four in the South -- the battle for state legislatures will be intense this November.