It's election day, which means your ballot must be postmarked by today or dropped off at a county elections office or designated drop box. At the Secretary of State's blog they're telling you how to find those drop off sites.

They’re also reporting that turnout was described as light in several of the state’s most populous counties.

Admittedly, yesterday's election is far from certified. But over at the Office of the State Insurance Commissioner they've already posted answers to questions about how Referendum 71 will affect various forms of insurance coverage for domestic partners.

For instance, you may wonder if your domestic partner is now covered by your health, auto and home insurance. The answer to that and other questions can be found here.

News is breaking out of our nation's capital that Congress has sent President Barack Obama legislation to extend federal unemployment benefits and extend and expand tax breaks for home buyers. You can find the story here.

President Obama is expected to sign the legislation into law tomorrow. In Washington state, it'll mean an extra 20 weeks of unemployment benefits for those who have exhausted them. To apply for unemployment benefits, go here.

Over at Stateline.org they've got a pretty good write-up about the state of recovery for all 50 states and put Washington in a group of 38 where the recession is slowing. Eleven states are deemed to have started their recovery and one state -- Nevada -- is still mired in a deep recession.

You can find the report here.

One common thread among states already in recovery is housing markets that didn't bottom out the way it did in most states, including Washington.

Update: Following Boeing's announcement to site the 787 line in South Carolina, Senator Lisa Brown issued this statement . Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle and Chair of the Senate Labor, Commerce & Consumer Protection Committee also issued this statement ....

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The News Tribune's Political Buzz Blog has a post up about the state having topped $500 million in federal stimulus spending so far. More detailed data is expected Friday.

In the meantime, Stateline.org's Stimulus and the States project offers an informative look at how various states are spending stimulus dollars. Almost 60 percent are being spent on education and health care programs.

A new report released today indicates Washington's state and local tax burden ranks 26th highest in the nation and the state's property taxes are 32nd highest. That's according to federal data for fiscal year 2007 released today by the state Department of Revenue.

You can find the press release here and download the full report here.

Washington taxpayers paid $109.25 in state and local taxes per $1,000 of personal income, a bit below the national average of $113.32.

The Secretary of State's From Our Corner blog has the scoop on how victims of domestic violence can vote discreetly without registration records being used by their assailants to locate them.

In short, the Address Confidentiality Program allows participants to use substitute addresses when doing business with the government. Check out their post for more.

Secretary of State Sam Reed announced today he is predicting a 51 percent turnout for this year's general election. That would be about average for an off-year election.

While it's too late to register online or by mail for this year's Nov. 3 election, citizens still can register in person at local elections offices through Monday.

The Office of Financial Management today announced options a consultant has produced for closing some state correctional and juvenile rehabilitation facilities in order to meet recession-driven cuts made in the state budget.

Under both scenarios presented, the Ahtanum View Corrections Center in Yakima would be closed. Under one scenario, an aging portion of the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla would be closed as would half the Larch Corrections Center in Yacolt. Under the other scenario, the McNeil Island Corrections Center would be downsized.

Cuts to developmentally disabled and juvenile rehabilitation facilities also were specified.

A final report is due from the consultant Nov. 1 before any cuts are made.