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Wells Proposes Online Voter Registration For D.C.

By: Patrick Madden // October 4, 2012
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D.C. Council member Tommy Wells wants residents to be able to register to vote online. The District would join the 13 states that have implemented online voter registration in recent years.

Wells introduced legislation this week to create a secure online system that would let voters register to vote, update their information and even change political parties from a computer.

"The other thing it will allow you to do, which I think is extremely important, is you can just go online and notify a change of address," Wells says. "Currently the change of address process is so cumbersome that a lot of people are disqualified from participating in things like ballot initiatives."

Right now, residents can register to vote either through the mail or in person at several District government agencies, including the DMV.

Wells thinks it may be possible to implement the system by next spring and is hoping for a hearing on the issue to move the bill forward. Maryland already has online voter registration, Virginia does not.

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