Conventional wisdom says the political party that has the most enthusiastic voters leading up to Election Day is likely to win at the ballot box. Carolina Journal Managing Editor Rick Henderson delves into multiple polls that show Republicans are currently more enthused than Democrats, spelling potential trouble for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kay Hagan. Then we turn to legislative news, where Hagan’s key opponent, House Speaker Thom Tillis, has been presiding over the House during the “short” session. As state lawmakers haggled over details of the state budget plan, they also debated items such as limits for local sales-tax rates. You’ll hear highlights from a state Senate discussion of the topic, featuring divisions along party lines and between urban and rural senators. In addition, legislators hope to ease the driver’s license renewal process for many North Carolinians. You’ll learn details of a plan to allow for online renewal of licenses in the years ahead. That’s followed by the debate over privacy and public safety. Some North Carolina cities operate automated license-plate reading cameras on city-maintained roads. A recent debate over use of the same cameras on state-maintained highways featured multiple concerns. The discussion generated stark differences of opinion within the state Senate. And finally, we look at a recent move by legislators of both parties to add on a new tax to electronic cigarettes. John Locke Foundation Director of Fiscal Policy Studies Sarah Curry recommends the add-on tax be repealed, particularly since its imposition is in conflict with the principles for taxation adopted by the legislature last year in its sweeping tax reform package.