Oregonians can register to vote online starting today as Oregon becomes the fourth state in the nation to offer voters an electronic path to the polls.

The online registration system, which cost the state about $200,000 to set up, will be a cheaper, more secure and more accurate way to reach more voters, particularly the housebound, elderly and out-of-state members of the military, said

It also should attract more young voters who spend more time on the Internet, she said.

"One of my chief goals is to reduce barriers to people participating in the democratic process," she said.

She expects the online option will increase the portion of eligible voters who register, particularly those under 25. The state estimates about 77 percent of eligible voters are registered, leaving about 600,000 still unregistered. Minnesota and Maine have the highest registration rate in the nation at 80 percent.

Oregon adults can register online beginning 9 a.m. Monday by going to the Internet site:

They will be required to have a valid Oregon driver's license, permit or identification card. For those who register online, the signatures on their driver's licenses, permits or ID cards will serve as the signatures for voter registration cards. Those signatures will be checked to validate mail ballots in elections.

Voters also can go to the online site to change political parties or addresses.

As with paper registrations, online registrations will require voters to declare themselves U.S. citizens. Lying on the registration form is a felony, punishable by five years in prison, a $125,000 fine and deportation for undocumented immigrants. Under Oregon law, adults cannot obtain a driver's license without proof of citizenship or legal status.

Oregon follows Arizona, Washington and Kansas in offering residents an online path to voter registration. Colorado and Louisiana will begin registering voters online in April, and Indiana will do so in July. California and Utah also are working on providing electronic registration.

In Arizona, the first to offer electronic registration in 2002, 70 percent of new voter registrations are now done online. In Maricopa County, registration costs dropped from 83 cents per paper transaction to 3 cents per online transaction.

Washington also has saved money with its online registration, which accounted for a third of all new registrations in 2008. The cost for each registration dropped from $1.55 on paper to 45 cents online. About 30 percent of the people registering online are between ages 18 and 24, said Shane Hamlin, assistant director of elections for Washington.

A study released last year by the Pew Center on the States put the total cost of registering voters in Oregon in 2008 at $9.7 million. The study found that 220,243 new registrations along with updates produced 1.2 million transactions, at a cost of $8.43 per transaction.

Brown said she next wants to make a more seamless state and county voter registration system and to get more young people voting.

"We have to do a better job of engaging out young people to participate in the civic process," she said.