AUGUSTA — Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap has announced that the towns of Rockport and Damariscotta have launched Rapid Renewal, the Department of the Secretary of State's online service for the renewal of motor vehicle registrations.

Rapid Renewal is an e-commerce service allowing citizens to conduct business with municipal government and state government in one seamless online transaction. Rapid Renewal has gained national acclaim and Mainers have enthusiastically embraced it. While municipal participation in Rapid Renewal is optional, the service has now grown to 243 municipalities and has seen more than 1,650,654 transactions processed to date. The towns of Rockport and Damariscotta will accept payments via e-check and credit card. Residents can continue to visit the town offices to pay in person, but now also have the option of conducting these transactions online.

The Rapid Renewal service is currently offered by cities and towns from York County to Aroostook County, with populations ranging from Glenwood Plantation's three citizens to more than 64,000 in Portland. Through Rapid Renewal, citizens can quickly and easily renew their vehicle registrations and pay their municipal excise taxes online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Rapid Renewal may be accessed through https://www.maine.gov/sos/ online_services/index.html , the Secretary of State's site for online services.

Municipal officials who would like more information about participating in Rapid Renewal are encouraged to contact the Department of the Secretary of State at (207) 626-8400.