Washington State to allow electorate registration online

The American State of Washington is to become the first in the US to allow voter registration via a Facebook application, according to recent reports. State officials said the online application, which could be available by next week, is a "natural way" to sign up voters. Facebook would not collect details other than the voter's name and date of birth, and does not means access to the voter confidential database, State officials said. The move comes as several U.S. states have introduced or passed laws requiring more evidence to register in order to be able to vote. Correspondents say voter registration could stay in the spotlight in the run-up to the presidential election scheduled to be conducted on 6 November 2012. Washington State, located in the US Pacific Northwest, has offered for the first time its online voter registration services in 2008. More than a dozen other U.S. states allow voters to sign up online. Officials in Olympia, the capital of Washington State, admitted that more needs to be done so as to encourage the state's electorate to sign up online in order to vote.