With the midterm elections over, exit polling and voter reactions indicate Americans want reform on issues close to home, and not the partisanship and corruption of Congress’s past. In a post-election letter from Executive Director Gary Bass, OMB Watch solicited responses from its email subscribers and appreciates the thoughtful and insightful comments. The responses received make one thing clear: Americans want our nation led down a new path - one with honest campaigns, an inclusive economy, and a clean environment. The most common issue of concern among responses is the need for reformation of the election process. The Democrats' 100 hours agenda includes many ambitious goals, but Americans are clamoring for the new majority to address lingering problems with our elections. "I think the 100 hours agenda is good," says Donna D., but she contends "critical issues are missing." She wants Congress to begin "protecting our vote with verifiable paper trails." Donna continues, "If cash registers can print receipts, why can't voting machines?" Lance B. echoes her concerns, calling for a policy to "eliminate or fix electronic voting machines" by employing "paper trails, open-source programming, and bullet-proof security." Americans also feel campaign finance and lobbying reform should be top priorities for the new Congress. Dick K. says: "I think there needs to be a fundamental change in the way we run campaigns for national office as well as limits on how lobbyists can access and contribute to national officers. Perhaps if the government funded national campaigns or there were limits on campaign spending at the least, the power of influence peddlers would be reduced." Further responses express concern over the influence of corporations in elections and policy. Tom A. from San Dimas, CA maligns "the corporate interests in this country that put their profits ahead of the common good." Gale S. would like Democrats to add to their agenda "election reform with an end to corporate donations even through PACs, and a return of the fairness in broadcasting doctrine," adding, "Then this nation may heal." Discontent with the lack of transparency in the voting process and a fear of corrupting influences in government may reflect a backlash against corruption which voters expressed in exit polling. Seventy-four percent of respondents indicated "corruption and scandals in government" as extremely or very important in their Election Day decisions - and 41 percent said it was extremely important. The only issue more important to voters than corruption in government, according to exit polling, was the economy. (Terrorism and Iraq were rated third and fourth respectively.) Eighty-two percent of respondents rated economic issues as extremely or very important. Responses received by OMB Watch bolster this finding. "With personal debt at a record high, with healthcare costs impacting more and more budgets, and with stagnant wages a fact of life, Americans are finally looking past the Bush rhetoric and demanding change," says Patricia C. Some of the responses OMB Watch received take dead aim at the Bush administration's tax policy. "The fiscal burden on future generations that the last six years of tax legislation has created is unacceptable and must be addressed sooner rather than later," says Linda B. She continues with advice for the 110th: "The new Congress should therefore rethink the various revenue reductions enacted over the last six years and re-focus tax provisions to provide reasonable tax rates for ordinary Americans and a fairer share of the tax burden for those in the top five percent." One specific way of doing that, she says, is preserving the estate tax: "Estate tax repeal or reduction makes no sense whatsoever." The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) is also of concern to Americans. Brent P. of Brownsburg, IN says: "The AMT and standard deductions need to be increased by $10,000 and the AMT then needs to be indexed to inflation like the standard deduction. The tax revenue losses can be replaced by increasing taxes on the wealthy and estates over $5 million." With a recent study by the Tax Policy Center (a joint project of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution) showing that the AMT is likely to encroach upon more and more of the American middle class, Congress would be wise to act upon this voter sentiment. The health of our environment is another major concern. In reaction to the Democrats' 100 hour agenda, Nancy asks, "Where in all these issues is environmental protection?" Specifically, voters are concerned about American energy policy. Jerry P. comments: "The new Congress will have ample opportunity to conduct effective oversight on global climate change and the deficiencies in current energy usage. Their outcome should be an aggressive new national energy policy that elevates renewable sources, conservation and responsibility reflective of our contribution to global carbon dioxide emissions." On a related note, OMB Watch received many responses demanding action on climate change. "If the developed world cannot provide leadership in this issue, climatic change will become ever bigger and more quickly irreversible," says Deborah W. "To me, global warming is the biggest issue the planet faces," says Shirley B. of Maryville, TN. The overarching message voters seem to be sending is their desire for substantive change. According to a Democracy Corps poll taken the weekend before the election, 79 percent of respondents indicated the following statement - Getting politicians to work for the public good, instead of the special interests - to be one of the top three reasons to vote for Democratic candidates. Voters have grown weary of partisanship and corruption, and they demand action. Can Democrats enact change? Not everyone is sure. "I am a life-long Democrat who has been disappointed in the party over the last ten years," says Bonnie B. of New Hampshire. However, like most Americans, Bonnie is hopeful, saying she "deeply hopes that the party makes substantial and relevant changes forward for the country."