Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Monday signed a bill to automatically register voters using drivers' license data -- and she did it with an extra dose of enthusiasm since she had first developed and championed this legislation when she was secretary of state.

Brown said it was a "unique and humbling opportunity" to be able to sign a first-in-the-nation bill that she originally brought to the Legislature in 2013 as a way to improve access to the polls.

During the testimony on the bill, a legislator said to me, 'It's already so easy to register, why would we make it easier?'" Brown told a packaged crowd of legislators and supporters in the governor's ceremonial office in Salem.  "My answer is that we have the tools to make voter registration more cost effective, more secure and more convenient for Oregonians, so why wouldn't we?"

Under House Bill 2177, Oregonians who obtain or renew their drivers' licenses or state identification cards will also be provisionally registered to vote if they aren't already. These prospective new voters will be notified and given 21 days to opt out of registering.

For more information on the new law, check out this Q&A on the new law by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

--Jeff Mapes

jmapes@oregonian.com

503-221-8209

@Jeffmapes