Washington to offer voter registration via Facebook

Want to make your voice heard in this year's presidential election? Do you live in Washington State? If so, you can register to vote using the state's newest online registration system — one that allows you to do so via Facebook.

Washington is one of only thirteen states that allows voter registration by web, and is the first to allow registration through Facebook. Voter registration by Facebook isn't automatic, though — it's done through a new app being developed for the state by Microsoft. Once the app goes live late next week (possibly later), it will auto-populate a form based on information Facebook already knows about you, like your name and date of birth. You then need to fill out the rest and provide a valid state-issued ID.

This is a pretty interesting new way for Washington to bring new voters to the polls this year. And everyone benefits from using it: Those who want to cast a ballot this year in Washington now have a quick and easy way to register, while state and local governments save between $0.75 and $2.25 per application filed via Facebook as compared to traditional methods.

[via Ars Technica]

This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca

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