As Midterms Approach, Notarize Lends a Hand to Absentee Voters in SD
Summary
The idea started with online complaints from voters in South Dakota, where applications for absentee ballots require the certification of a notary public.The response from Pat Kinsel, founder and CEO of a Boston-based online notary startup aptly named Notarize, was to offer its services for free —the same deal it made last year to hurricane-battered residents in Florida, Puerto Rico , and Texas when they learned they needed similar services to file FEMA disaster claims.It’s a commendable goal, although Kinsel surely is also hoping the free service will help generate more attention for Notarize—and revenue from paying customers.Here’s a bit more on how the service works: Voters in South Dakota can go to the Notarize website and fill out an application for an absentee ballot, Kinsel says.Lastly, it connects the voter over a video chat with a certified notary—working from offices in Virginia or Texas—who visually verifies the applicant matches the picture on the ID.