This off the newswire:

A group of activists in Oregon are pushing the state to require proof of citizenship to register to vote. Jim Ludwick, president of the Oregonians for Immigration Reform, told the Register-Guard that his group was pursuing its “Respect for the Law Act” as an initiative for 2008 out of frustration with the Legislature’s inaction. The proposed initiative has yet to be cleared for petitioning. Backers will have until July to gather about 83,000 valid signatures for it to qualify for the November ballot. Under Oregon law it is a felony for noncitizens to vote and those who register to vote must sign a statement verifying that they are citizens. His initiative requires those registering to vote for the first time in Oregon to submit proof of citizenship. Secretary of State Bill Bradbury said voter registration and voting by people in the United States illegally “are nearly nonexistent problems” and that his Elections Division investigates every claim of voting by noncitizens. Bradbury also said such a requirement could deny voting rights not just to illegal immigrants but also to citizens who are not able to produce proof of citizenship.