House Bill 2386 Aiming to Modernize Voter Registration Method
The usual paper form used for Oregon voter registration may soon become obsolete, if Governor Kulongoski adds his finalizing signature to House Bill 2386 this week. The proposed bill, hoping to be operating by March 1, 2010, will allow any voter with a valid Oregon driver’s license, driver’s permit, or ID card to register to vote online.
This bill is specifically targeted at the disabled, youth, and military voters, all groups that are less inclined to fill out a normal paper registration form due to inaccessibility. This proposed bill could lead to a major rise in the normally low youth vote, since the majority of new voters are increasingly connected and plugged into the online world.
This method has proven successful in both Arizona and Washington, and is gaining popularity in Utah as well. In 2003, 75% of Arizona voters chose the recently-created online option for voter registration as opposed to the older paper form.
Skeptics wonder if the bill with have a negative impact on the less online-savvy age group, who could find the internet registration form less comprehensible than the tangible standard. Others question the reliability of an online database, but founders of the bill confirm that the proposed website will have a similar identity protection method as most online banking pages.
The majority of opinions regarding House Bill 2386 are very positive and well-backed by previous similar bills. “Online Registration is a smart step towards modernizing Oregon’s voting system,” believes OSPIRG Executive Director Dave Rosenfeld, “this will give Oregonians yet another access point to our political system.”
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