ALBANY -- County clerks across the state have started online petitions against planned increases in fees on license plates next year.

The push has been orchestrated by Senate Republicans, particularly Sen. Thomas W. Libous, R-Binghamton, who are seeking to regain control of the chamber next year. Democrats hold a narrow 32-30 seat majority heading into 2010 elections.

Libous' campaign and his staff have registered the domain names of several Republican clerks' online petitions, such as www.nonewplates.org and www.nonewplates.com, as a way for the public to protest a plan adopted by Gov. David Paterson and the Democratic-led Legislature to increase license plate fees.

Chemung County Clerk Catherine K. Hughes, a Democrat, said she is not circulating a petition, but signed one from St. Lawrence County. She opposes the new fees.

As part of the 2009-10 budget, Democrats approved new taxes and fees, including requiring motorists to pay $25 for new plates when their vehicle registrations expire, starting in April 2010. The current fee is $15. The state expects to bring in $129 million from the higher fee.

Libous, who heads the Senate Republican Campaign Committee, said the Web sites have garnered more than 35,000 signatures. He also has a petition on his own homepage, www.tomlibous.com.

"People are angry," Libous said. "They are sick and tired of taxes, and now the state is going to make them dump their plates and have to pay again when they don't have to."

Democrats criticiazed Republicans for the petitions, saying Republicans have offered few suggestions on how to deal with the state's budget deficits. In April, the state closed a $17 billion budget gap and now faces a $3.2 billion mid-year gap.

"The Republicans should be more interested in solving the problem rather than coming up with cheap gimmicks," said Austin Shafran, spokesman for Senate Democrats.

Morgan Hook, a Paterson spokesman, said clerks aren't offering any alternatives to close the budget gap. In addition to the new revenue, he said new license plates are ordered every decade or so to ensure the legibility of the plates. Also, county clerks' offices would keep 12.7 percent of the revenue, Hook said.

Clerks said their effort is not about politics.

"We're saying ... you've got to come up with a better idea," Hughes said. "The state's got to stop spending."