Oregon’s secretary of state expands online voter registration eligibility to all residents

Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read announced Tuesday that all eligible residents can register to vote online using a digital form, even if they do not have a state-issued driver’s license.

Previously, only Oregonians with driver’s license numbers could register to vote online. Now they can register to vote online by providing the last four digits of a Social Security number and a signature, just as they would on a paper voter registration form, the office said.

The office said the online voter registration form maintains the security of Oregon’s voter registration system while expanding access. According to an announcement, elections officials will carefully verify the Social Security numbers and signatures submitted before registering voters.

This update to Oregon’s online voter registration system was required by House Bill 4133, which passed in 2022. It required the state to create an electronic voter registration system by Jan. 1.

Forty two states, as well as Washington, D.C., Guam and the Virgin Islands offer online voter registration, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Arizona was reportedly the first state to implement digital voter registration, in 2002.

“Everything in our modern society is evolving to be more convenient — our elections should do the same,” Read said in the announcement. “Every citizen should get the same opportunity to hold their government accountable at the ballot box. This update will keep online voter registration secure and accurate while making it more available to eligible voters.”