Low turnout among young voters is often ascribed to apathy, but part of the problem is the barriers young people face when casting ballots or trying to work at the polls. Nonprofits can help remove these barriers. In many states, to register to vote, you must establish a "fixed and permanent" address. Yet many young people's "fixed and permanent" address is miles away from where they spend eight months of each year. College residence generally does not qualify as "fixed and permanent" for purposes of voting, since it does not demonstrate intent to establish residency.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee rejected a resolution last Wednesday that would have sought information on Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force. The resolution sparked a rowdy and highly partisan committee session in which no debate was allowed before the vote. Reps. John Dingell (D-MI), Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA) introduced House Resolution 745 on July 22. If passed, it would have asked President Bush to provide the House with specified task force information within two weeks. The information would include:

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) received a request from two House members last week, asking for an investigation into the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) use of the "sensitive security information" (SSI) provisions. SSI receives protected status, which shields it from public disclosure.

Homeland security whistleblowers recently joined together in two different efforts. One group of whistleblowers issued a memo calling upon other government officials to come forward with information on mismanagement and deception. Another group released a letter criticizing the 9/11 commission's report for not attaching accountability to specific individuals. Call to Whistleblowers