In an age where technology has advanced to where countless functions can be completed from anywhere in the world, it seems ridiculous that voting laws in Minnesota are essentially the same as they were centuries ago.

While Minnesota’s 71 percent voter turnout is among the highest in the nation, it still means 29 percent of residents eligible to vote do not.

The most likely reason residents would not vote: inconvenience. For many, the effort involved in getting to and from the polls on election day, and maybe waiting in line, outweighs exercising a constitutional right.

Online voting is the most sensible answer. If Minnesota residents were able to vote on their computers, tablets or phones, no question the turnout would increase.

Voter fraud certainly is a risk, as it is in traditional voting. However, the technology is available to prevent online voter fraud.

It may take some time to create the infrastructure to allow online voting, but it should be a goal of the Minnesota Legislature and Congress.

There’s simply no reason not to make voting as convenient as possible.