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Should Registering To Vote Be Made Easier?

CHICAGO (CBS) -- With voter registrations still on the low side, local elections officials are debating whether it should be easier for people to register.

As WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports, Chicago Board of Election Commissioners spokesman Jim Allen says one of the reasons for low voter registrations is that the system for signing up to vote hasn't kept up with the younger generation or its technology.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports

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"When you walk downtown, you see everybody – they no longer make eye contact anymore. They're all looking down with these little devices, and they expect to be able to register with these little devices," Allen said. "They expect to be able to do everything at the last minute."

But Lake County Clerk Willard Helander doesn't agree with Allen's assessment.

"I really think it's a red herring to say voting registration is not accessible," she said. "People run to get a movie out of Redbox if they don't' use Netflix, and there are trips made young people, old people, all sorts of people every day to do things that are important to them."

Helander points out also that voters can now register online.

Voting and voter registration are the topics on WBBM Newsradio's "At Issue" this coming Sunday. You can hear more from the experts at 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.

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