The state of Maine needs to add an online option to the current methods for voter registration.

One lesson from the pandemic was the necessity of online transactions. With state and town offices closed, or open limited hours, I paid my property taxes and renewed my driver’s license and car registration online. I have obtained my hunting/fishing license online for years.

Here are some benefits of online voter registration:

1. More security and clarity of data than paper forms;

2. It eliminates the need for manual data entry and deciphering handwriting, decreasing the chance for human error;

3. It saves money by forgoing the cost of printing, scanning, and processing hundreds of thousands of voter registration forms each year;

4. It allows voter registration records to be automatically tied to drivers’ license/state ID records or SSN, making the verification process fast and secure;

5. It provides convenient hours for working people to register; and

6. It will serve as an avenue for Mainers to update their registration information conveniently, keeping voter rolls up to date.

Forty states now have online voter registration, and some states have had it for a decade. I ask my legislators to please give the citizens of Maine the option for online registration and vote to pass LD 1126.

Linda Deane, Livermore Falls