Online voter registration should sidestep ID debate

The brouhahas over Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton's emails have pushed the voter ID controversy onto the back burner, but it's likely to stay on the stove as the 2016 election approaches.

Some 30 states have enacted voter ID laws in some form in an effort proponents say will combat voter fraud, but which opponents say will leave otherwise eligible voters out in the cold.

Proponents point out that it's impossible to buy liquor, rent a movie or cash a check without proper ID, but opponents say requiring ID at the poll without a state-issued photo ID disproportionately prevents young, poor and minority citizens -- many of them Democrats -- from casting a vote.

Even with a free state ID, obtaining a photo ID can be costly because of the need to obtain a birth certificate or other documents. NYU's Brennan Center found that 11 percent of voting-age citizens lack necessary photo ID while many people in rural areas have trouble accessing ID offices.

Some compare it to the "poll tax" imposed in the South to prevent blacks from voting.

Proponents point to the other ID requirements listed above, however, and describe such a requirement as a "fact of life" in modern society.

Nebraska has not enacted a voter ID law, but we're about to join 23 other states that have already effectively streamlined voter registration while claiming bipartisan support of the change.

The Nebraska secretary of state's office will unveil a new online voter registration website Tuesday as part of National Voter Registration Day.

Using the new website, eligible Nebraska voters will be able to register with a valid driver's license or photo ID.

Officials say the new system will improve turnout, especially among highly mobile groups such as college students and low-income residents, while adapting to the modern penchant for filing taxes and paying bills over the Internet.

Nebraska's new system will allow state officials to use an applicant's driver's license signature to register a new voter, rather than relying on paper registration forms. The state DMV already lets voters register when applying for a driver's license.

We're sure the system won't be perfect, but it should improve voter turnout among all demographics while making it possible to weed out fraudulent registrations over the long term.