Technology is getting the chance to input some positive change, as Washington state has decided to incorporate the services of Facebook. The Evergreen State soon will allow its residents to register to vote through the most popular social networking platform. Yes, you heard right.
The way this works is the state will have an application on its Facebook page that allows residents to register to vote and then “like” the application and recommend it to their friends. Believe it or not, the app is developed by no other than the Windows 8 maker itself, Microsoft. Of course, there is some precautions on how this thing will operate in a secure manner. For instance, users will have to authorize the app to access their basic personal information (name and date of birth), which will be used to automatically fill each registration form. Moreover, the final process requires aspiring voters to manually enter their drivers license or state ID numbers. Boom, then it’s done!
I can’t stress enough, how awesome this is that Washington state is taking the side of technology and innovation over fear mongers — who love to shoot anything down that’s remotely progressive.
That said, Shane Hamlin, the state’s co-director of elections, hopes his state’s approach will make it even easier for citizens to register. “In this age of social media and more people going online for services, this is a natural way to introduce people to online registration and leverage the power of friends on Facebook to get more people registered,” Hamlin told the AP. He also assured those concerned about their privacy that their basic information is being collected by the state, not Facebook — like that’s any better.
[AP (Orange County); via The Verge]