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Changes In Voting & Registration Could Be Coming Soon

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania is coming up. However, the current way of registering may soon be a thing of the past.

If you're not a registered voter and want to vote in the mayor's race or other elections next month, Monday is the last day to register.

"You can register by filling out a form and either mailing it or having it delivered to our offices by the deadline," Mark Wolosik from the Allegheny County Elections Bureau said.

That old-fashioned way of registering could change. The State Senate just voted unanimously to allow online registration.

"Anything that you can do online, I do online. If I could do it online, I would do it that way. It would save me a whole lot of time," Kathy Christie said.

The proposal still needs House approval, so it won't apply to this primary election.

Online voter registration is not the only change under consideration in Harrisburg. Pennsylvania is one of just 15 states that still does not allow early voting. Now, some legislators want to change that too.

State Rep. Tony DeLuca of Penn Hills has introduced a bill to require each county to provide a place for voters to vote in person on a regular voting machine during the 15 days before Election Day, including some weekend hours.

"It's a constitutional right for people to vote, and the more we can do to empower the voters and give them the opportunity to go to the polls, the better this government will be," Rep. DeLuca said.

DeLuca said today's work schedules are making it harder for working people to vote -- and early voter would increase participation.

"I think it's a great idea," Rep. DeLuca said.

DeLuca dismisses claims this benefits Democrats over Republicans, as Republican Mitt Romney won most of the early voting states.

"A lot of the states are Republican states, not just Democratic states," Rep. DeLuca said.

DeLuca also said he'd welcome bi-partisan support.

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