Online voter registration is a current topic at the Iowa Legislature.

The Secretary of State’s office is proposing a website where eligible voters can apply for voter registrations.  It is in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Transportation.

While the legislature debates the topic, Greene County residents can still register to vote in a variety of ways.  Deputy Auditor Billie Jo Hoskins says you can print out a voter registration form from the Secretary of State’s website or obtain one from your local county auditor’s office.

To be a registered voter, you must be at least 17 ½ years-old, be a United States citizen and not be a convicted felon.  You must provide either your driver’s license identification number or the last four digits of your social security number.

Once you receive your voter registration card in the mail, you can vote.  Hoskins points out that anyone can become an inactive voter if they choose to not vote in two general elections.  A notice of their inactive status will be given to the individual asking them if they want to remain an active voter.  If there’s no response and another year goes by without that person voting, then they are deleted from the state’s system.

If you are deleted, Hoskins notes that you must register again to become an active voter.  This year alone, there were 100 people in Greene County who were deleted from the state’s system.

Hoskins believes that if online voter registration passes, younger people may take more advance of the system for future elections.