Iraq to begin voter registration
BAQOUBA, Iraq Iraqis begin voter and political party registration Monday for the January elections. Authorities will use a Saddam Hussein-era database for food-rationing to create an initial voter roll.
Voter registration clerks will check on the status of families as heads of households collect their 2005 ration cards. Any mistake will be noted on the voter roll.
The method is believed to reduce the chance of violence interrupting the process. It also gives Iraqis a cover from insurgent threats.
U-S forces have the task of providing security during the vote, but keeping enough distance to dispel notions that it's a sham election.
One U-S officer says "If we mess it up, it's back to the bad old days."
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