Iraqi voter registration drive

Aswat Aliraq, an independent Iraqi news service, reports that the High Independence Election Commission conducted a "large-scale propaganda campaign" to register voters for key provincial elections scheduled for October.

The U.S. considers successful provincial elections, along with a reduction in violence as key benchmarks in evaluating the the progress of the Iraqi government.

While the term "propaganda" will likely put off many Americans, especially my fellow journalists, the campaign really amounts to a good old voter registration drive. We see them all the time in the U.S. and they are a mark of democracy.

There in lies the remarkable aspect of this story. Democratic processes have begun to take root in a country that for years languished under the dictatorial mandate of Saddam Hussein.

This story represents yet another small sign of progress in Iraq.