Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregonians will soon have the chance to register to vote online. Governor Ted Kulongoski Thursday signed a bill that will allow people to sign up in time for next spring's primaries. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports.

You can already fill out a voter registration form online in Oregon. But to complete the process you have to print it out and mail it in.

By March 1st of next year, you should be able to just click a button to seal the deal. Officials hope that will encourage more young people to sign up.

18-year-old college student Brittany Bonnet attended the bill-signing ceremony.

She's a poly-sci major so naturally she signed up to vote as soon as she could. But she knows not everyone her age is in the loop.

Brittany Bonnet: “It's going to be really great to know that if there's a link when you're on the computer already that says ‘You can register to vote immediately', people are going to be right on it.”

The new system will mostly be paid for with federal funds.

The Governor also signed a bill to allow military personnel stationed overseas to cast their votes by fax machine.

Another measure allows counties to start tabulating mailed-in ballots before Election Day. That should make for quicker results on election night.

Governor Kulongoski also issued two vetoes. He rejected a bill requiring a study on the possible state purchase of a trout farm. He also vetoed two sections of a spending plan relating to higher education and the court system.

Online:

Current online Oregon voter registration form

Washington state online voter registration

Kulongoski's veto of the trout farm bill

Kulongoski's veto of two sections of a state spending plan