Like nearly 35 percent of all Americans, I moved once during the past five years. My new house is less than a mile from my old one, but I still had countless records to change — and I didn’t remember everything. Just weeks before our most recent primary election, I realized that I forgot to update one crucial document: my voter registration.

I should know better; I study politics and public policy for a living. But many people are unaware that their voter registration is not updated when they change their address with the post office or the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The result, according to a study by the Brennan Center at New York University, is that 1 in 8 voter registration records is flawed or invalid.

The situation is no better here in Hawaii, where low registration and voter turnout are perennial problems. Our antiquated voter registration system is burdensome for citizens, expensive for the Office of Elections, and leads to inaccuracies in Hawaii’s voter rolls.

Fortunately, the state Legislature is considering a solution to this problem that has already been adopted in 17 states and the District of Columbia: automatic voter registration (AVR). It works by making some simple changes to how we register to vote.

Today, when you apply for a driver’s license or a state ID, you have the option to register to vote. AVR turns an “opt in” system into an “opt out” system.” If this legislation is adopted, the state will automatically register you to vote or update your existing voting record unless you decide not to participate. But AVR isn’t just more convenient. It’s also better for democracy.

First, because it’s so easy to register, it can lead to dramatic increases in the number of citizens who are able to participate in local elections. After Oregon implemented this system in 2016, for example, 270,000 new voters were registered, which helped the state set a record for the number of votes cast.

Second, it’s portable, so it’s great for citizens who have difficulty updating their records. It will be particularly helpful for young voters, like my students at the University of Hawaii, who change addresses frequently and don’t always remember to tell the Office of Elections that they moved from their parents’ house in Mililani to an apartment in Manoa.

Third, it’s safer and more accurate than the old system. With AVR, electronic data from DMV registries can be used to update the voter rolls. It also adds a second layer of security to the process. Your eligibility will be checked when you update your ID at the DMV and then again by the Office of Elections when your name is entered into the rolls of eligible voters.

Finally, automatic voter registration saves money. It’s cumbersome and expensive to decipher handwritten forms and to manually update records when people move. With AVR, voter registration data can be electronically transferred from DMV records. One study by the Pew Center on the States found that Canada, which already has a system like AVR, pays just one-twelfth of what we do to maintain an active voter registration database.

It’s every citizen’s responsibility to vote, but we should make it as easy and convenient as possible. Folks are busy; they have children and parents to care for; they forget. But if the Legislature adopts AVR this session, you’ll never again need to wonder if your voter registration is current. It’s a small change that will yield big benefits for democracy.

Colin Moore is a political science professor and director of the Public Policy Center at the University of Hawaii-Manoa.