Nearly one thousand Pennsylvanians have already taken advantage of a new program rolled out by Gov. Tom Wolf that allows voters in the state to register online with a simple text message.

Gov. Wolf introduced the new “2Vote” text messaging service on Sept. 7 in a move to make voter registration easier and more accessible.

“Accessing the online registration site and helpful tools for voters is now one short text away,” Gov. Wolf said in a press release.

“2Vote” will benefit unregistered voters who are used to doing business on a smartphone, supplementing the Department of State’s desire to register additional voters and to make them more engaged in the election process.

“The ‘2Vote’ platform provides potential voters with fast and easy access to the Department’s voter registration application,” Gov. Wolf said in a press release. Additionally, Pennsylvania voters can access links for county offices and the Department of State.

Voters will also be given the opportunity to sign up for text alerts which will notify users of important deadlines and dates that they may want to be reminded of prior to the general election on Nov. 8.

According to Wanda Murren, the Press Secretary for the Pa. Department of State, the department recently received a report showing that there are approximately 503,000 eligible unregistered individuals between the ages of 17-24 in the state of Pennsylvania.

Murren has advised that there has been a very positive response to the program since its launch.

Murren said that 723 users have texted “PA” to “2Vote,” of which 286 clicked the “Register to Vote” section. More than 300 have clicked “Check Your Registration Status” and more than 50 clicked “Find Your Polling Place.”

The idea to offer the service was brought to the Department of State for consideration by Deputy Secretary for Administration and Elections Marian K. Schneider after she learned about the program. The Department of State launched the online voter registration website just over a year ago, and the state expects to reach 500,000 users in a matter of days.

“We are targeting all eligible but unregistered voters regardless of age,” Murren said.

The nearly half-million users of the mobile-friendly site, which is available in both English and Spanish, include voters registering for the first time, as well as some who made changes to their current registration.

Additional changes can be done online include making changes to registered names, addresses or political affiliation.

“The governor has made it a priority to move to more digital transactions and communications,” Murren said.

“The program will continue at least through the end of November.  Then we will look at how well-utilized the service has been,” Murren said.

Students can use the “2Vote” system by texting “PA” to “2Vote” (28683).