It may be time to get the attention of our Representatives at a national level... I've been asking for people's opinions here and there about this effort and have yet to get a positive response. Most people that hear about it are horrified. One very smart friend of mine said, "If they're going to do that, they might as well just get rid of notarization altogether. It'd be a lot easier..." She wasn't serious, of course, but I thought she had an excellent point!
I think it boils down to what people believe about a notarial act to begin with. Those who understand that it should be about prevention of fraud and protection of the integrity of a transaction tend to be appalled about trying to notarize remotely. Those who just see it as an 'inconvenience', or an obstacle to be overcome, tend to think of RON as a great idea.
I see that so-called obstacle to be a critical moment during significant transactions where all the signatories are forced to stop for a moment so that an independent observer can confirm that those about to sign are, in fact, the party/parties named in the document and that they're doing so of their own free will. And, of course, that independent observer can administer an oath, as appropriate. WE all know that notarizing is about more than just a seal on a page.
Maybe a national PR campaign is what's needed, but sadly, that's a much more difficult undertaking. Perhaps, though, we could use social media to get the point across. Sadly, we obviously can't count on a certain national organization that claims to represents the interests of Notaries Public everywhere...
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