(AP) — Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale says the time has come to expand mail-in voting in smaller precincts throughout the state.

Gale said Tuesday that he would support a change in state law that would allow counties to get rid of polling places in certain small, rural precincts, and conduct those elections by mail.

Current state law only lets counties do so if their populations are less than 10,000. Gale says counties that have adopted the practice have seen significant increases in voter participation.

Nebraska has 58 all-mail precincts out of 1,400 statewide. Registered voters in those precincts are sent ballots by first-class mail, along with stamped return envelopes.