The 2000 election put all of us on warning: Flaws in our elections open the door to partisan manipulation of election results, disenfranchisement of large portions of the population, and uncertain results—all of which undermine faith in our democracy.

Last year, the U.S. Senate Rules Committee held a hearing on the NJPIRG-backed Ballot Integrity Act of 2007. The bill contains several key provisions that protect voters and their votes, clarify the rules, and establish even-handed procedures to ensure elections are administered fairly.

Among the protections that the Ballot Integrity Act would provide: equitable distribution of voting machines, standards for using and counting provisional ballots, standards for purging voters from the rolls, and funding for training Election Day-poll workers.

This summer, NJPIRG asked candidates for the State Senate and Assembly to take a pledge to work toward a Toxic-Free Future for New Jersey. This fall, Rebekah Scotland, NJPIRG legislative associate, met with many of the candidates, to discuss the threats that industrial use of toxic chemicals pose to public health and safety, and the importance of making sure that safer alternatives are used wherever possible.

Thirty members of the 2008 Legislature took the pledge, committing to tackle this threat to public health and safety by working to clean up toxic sites, reduce the use of the most dangerous toxic chemicals, and eliminate hidden toxic hazards that reside in everyday consumer products, including, but not limited to, household cleaners and certain brands of baby bottles.

“This is a great first step,” said Scotland. “New Jerseyans face far too many health and safety risks from toxic chemicals, and there are plenty of safer alternatives available right now. It’s time we overcame our toxic reputation, and with the help of our members, we’ll be working this winter to make sure the candidates uphold their pledge.”

Massachusetts and Oregon were the two most recent additions to the list of 40 states that enjoy stronger protections against identity theft thanks to laws based on model legislation crafted by PIRG consumer advocates and our allies at Consumers Union. New Jersey has passed the model legislation already.

However, with so many states passing strong consumer-friendly laws, lobbyists for the financial industry are looking to Congress to help them evade the new restrictions on data-dealing. With Ed Mierzwinski, our top consumer advocate, leading the way, we’ve stopped the rollback so far, but data dealers show no sign of letting up.

Meanwhile, security breaches at Citigroup, Monster.com and smaller retailers upped the total number of stolen or otherwise inadvertently disclosed records since 2005 to more than 165 billion—and unfortunately, the number is growing every month.