Editorial | Getting connected

You can buy books, pay your bills or order clothes online.

So why can't you register to vote?

Political groups like Rock the Vote offer easy-to-use Web sites which include printable forms, but many states - including Pennsylvania - still require residents to mail in voter registration papers.

Governments shouldn't have to rely on the technological prowess of private groups. Pennsylvania needs to get connected and set up an online voter registration system for future elections.

Online voter registration already exists in places like Washington and Arizona and has proven successful in saving paper and reducing processing time. Election officials also don't have to worry about incomplete forms or illegible writing.

Why aren't more states logging on?

Some political leaders are concerned that online registration could lead to voter fraud. But since online forms require users to submit multiple pieces of identification, they're just as secure as using paper.

Online voter registration is also crucial to increasing youth political participation.

There's no better way to get America's college students more involved in elections than by allowing them to register with the click of a mouse.

It's time for states to bring voter registration into the digital age.

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