One Idaho lawmaker’s push to create an online voter registration portal received mixed reviews and immediate opposition Monday at its first introduction hearing. State Rep. Mat Erpelding, D-Boise, presented the bill to the House State Affairs Committee that would allow voters to register to vote online, a method available only in handful of states like Utah and Arizona. “What you find across the country … you have a younger voting generation who are accustomed to online registration or online banking or online everything,” Erpelding said. “So there’s an expectation that we move toward a more digital system.”
Erpelding said the new system wouldn’t replace the paper method but help eliminate the time and cost county election workers spend processing new voter registrations. The new website would be connected through the state’s Division of Motor Vehicles’ website.
Currently, the only way to register to vote in Idaho is by filling out a card 25 days before an election or on Election Day.
The estimated cost to set up the portal is $300,000, Erpelding said. The bill is also being co-sponsored by state Rep. Luke Malek, R-Coeur d’Alene. The two are among the state’s youngest lawmakers.
Full Article: Idaho Online Voter Portal Proposed.