Good News For Mainers: Online Voter Registration Will Be A Thing By 2024
Moving sucks for a variety of reasons.
The last time my wife and I packed up our stuff and moved was just over three years ago. We made the move from Bangor to Hampden, and sadly, that meant I had to redo almost my entire existence on some levels. We had to let all our utilities, etc. know our new address, and fill out a few change-of-address forms... It was a pain in the butt.
And honestly, I missed out on the local and state elections in 2019 because I never quite got around to making it to the town hall to register to vote. I hate missing out on a chance to vote. I love my absentee ballots, too. But since I hadn't registered, I couldn't do that either. It was crazy.
Maine is only one of a handful of states without online registration.
Ten other states in the US don't offer online registration. But near as I can tell from looking around online, it gets a bit less every year, except in some ultra-conservative states. But now, according to the BDN, Maine will be joining the majority of the country in offering online voter registration to its residents.
There will be a lot of other perks as well. The platform that will be introduced by a third-party vendor that went out for bid and will be mostly federally funded, will also facilitate other things. For instance, you'll be able to use it to request an absentee ballot, check your registration status, and even book appointments at the BMV.
Imagine being able to do that? This could help eliminate long lines and waiting at the BMV, or at least put a dent in it. Obviously, not everyone will love this news, but we all know you can't please all the people all the time, right? Rule #1 from our childhoods... But for others, this will be absolutely great news. Welcome to the 21st century, Maine.