Oregon’s Secretary of State expands online voter registration eligibility to all residents

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

Previously, only Oregonians with a driver’s license number could register to vote online. The online form, according to the Secretary of State’s announcement, is secure and available to all residents starting Tuesday. All residents need to register to vote online are the last four digits of their Social Security number and to provide a valid 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, and elections officials will carefully verify the Social Security numbers and signatures submitted before formally registering citizens to vote.

This update to Oregon’s online voter registration system was required by House Bill 4133, which was passed in 2022 and required the state to create an electronic voter registration system that allowed qualified individuals to register to vote as long as they have a Social Security number by Jan. 1, 2026.

Most states offer online voter registration, with 42 states, Washington, D.C., Guam and the Virgin Islands offering the digital service, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Arizona was 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,” Oregon Secretary of State Tobias 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.”