Elections & Campaign Reform Committee

Filed: 3/10/2005

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 715

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 715 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing 1A-16
5 and by adding Section 1A-30 as follows:
 
6     (10 ILCS 5/1A-16)
7     Sec. 1A-16. Voter registration information; internet
8 posting; processing of voter registration forms; content of
9 such forms. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the
10 following provisions shall apply to voter registration under
11 this Code.
12     (a) Voter registration information; Internet posting of
13 voter registration form. Within 90 days after the effective
14 date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly, the
15 State Board of Elections shall post on its World Wide Web site
16 the following information:
17         (1) A comprehensive list of the names, addresses, phone
18     numbers, and websites, if applicable, of all county clerks
19     and boards of election commissioners in Illinois.
20         (2) A schedule of upcoming elections and the deadline
21     for voter registration.
22         (3) A downloadable, printable voter registration form,
23     in at least English and in Spanish versions, that a person
24     may complete and mail or submit to the State Board of

 

 

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1     Elections or the appropriate county clerk or board of
2     election commissioners.
3 Any forms described under paragraph (3) must state the
4 following:
5         If you do not have a driver's license or social
6     security number, and this form is submitted by mail, and
7     you have never registered to vote in the jurisdiction you
8     are now registering in, then you must send, with this
9     application, either (i) a copy of a current and valid photo
10     identification, or (ii) a copy of a current utility bill,
11     bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other
12     government document that shows the name and address of the
13     voter. If you do not provide the information required
14     above, then you will be required to provide election
15     officials with either (i) or (ii) described above the first
16     time you vote at a voting place or by absentee ballot.
17     (b) Acceptance of registration forms by the State Board of
18 Elections and county clerks and board of election
19 commissioners. The State Board of Elections, county clerks, and
20 board of election commissioners shall accept all completed
21 voter registration forms described in subsection (a)(3) of this
22 Section and Section 1A-30 that are:
23         (1) postmarked on or before the day that voter
24     registration is closed under the Election Code;
25         (2) not postmarked, but arrives no later than 5 days
26     after the close of registration;
27         (3) submitted in person by a person using the form on
28     or before the day that voter registration is closed under
29     the Election Code; or
30         (4) submitted in person by a person who submits one or
31     more forms on behalf of one or more persons who used the
32     form on or before the day that voter registration is closed
33     under the Election Code.
34     Upon the receipt of a registration form, the State Board of

 

 

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1 Elections shall mark the date on which the form was received
2 and send the form via first class mail to the appropriate
3 county clerk or board of election commissioners, as the case
4 may be, within 2 business days based upon the home address of
5 the person submitting the registration form. The county clerk
6 and board of election commissioners shall accept and process
7 any form received from the State Board of Elections.
8     (c) Processing of registration forms by county clerks and
9 boards of election commissioners. The county clerk or board of
10 election commissioners shall promulgate procedures for
11 processing the voter registration form.
12     (d) Contents of the voter registration form. The State
13 Board shall create a voter registration form, which must
14 contain the following content:
15         (1) Instructions for completing the form.
16         (2) A summary of the qualifications to register to vote
17     in Illinois.
18         (3) Instructions for mailing in or submitting the form
19     in person.
20         (4) The phone number for the State Board of Elections
21     should a person submitting the form have questions.
22         (5) A box for the person to check that explains one of
23     3 reasons for submitting the form:
24             (a) new registration;
25             (b) change of address; or
26             (c) change of name.
27         (6) a box for the person to check yes or no that asks,
28     "Are you a citizen of the United States?", a box for the
29     person to check yes or no that asks, "Will you be 18 years
30     of age on or before election day?", and a statement of "If
31     you checked 'no' in response to either of these questions,
32     then do not complete this form.".
33         (7) A space for the person to fill in his or her home
34     telephone number.

 

 

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1         (8) Spaces for the person to fill in his or her first,
2     middle, and last names, street address (principal place of
3     residence), county, city, state, and zip code.
4         (9) Spaces for the person to fill in his or her mailing
5     address, city, state, and zip code if different from his or
6     her principal place of residence.
7         (10) A space for the person to fill in his or her
8     Illinois driver's license number if the person has a
9     driver's license.
10         (11) A space for a person without a driver's license to
11     fill in the last four digits of his or her social security
12     number if the person has a social security number.
13         (12) A space for a person without an Illinois driver's
14     license to fill in his or her identification number from
15     his or her State Identification card issued by the
16     Secretary of State.
17         (13) A space for the person to fill the name appearing
18     on his or her last voter registration, the street address
19     of his or her last registration, including the city,
20     county, state, and zip code.
21         (14) A space where the person swears or affirms the
22     following under penalty of perjury with his or her
23     signature:
24             (a) "I am a citizen of the United States.";
25             (b) "I will be at least 18 years old on or before
26         the next election.";
27             (c) "I will have lived in the State of Illinois and
28         in my election precinct at least 30 days as of the date
29         of the next election."; and
30             "The information I have provided is true to the
31         best of my knowledge under penalty of perjury. If I
32         have provided false information, then than I may be
33         fined, imprisoned, or if I am not a U.S. citizen,
34         deported from or refused entry into the United States."

 

 

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1     (d) Compliance with federal law; rulemaking authority. The
2 voter registration form described in this Section shall be
3 consistent with the form prescribed by the Federal Election
4 Commission under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993,
5 P.L. 103-31, as amended from time to time, and the Help America
6 Vote Act of 2002, P.L. 107-252, in all relevant respects. The
7 State Board of Elections shall periodically update the form
8 based on changes to federal or State law. The State Board of
9 Elections shall promulgate any rules necessary for the
10 implementation of this Section; provided that the rules comport
11 with the letter and spirit of the National Voter Registration
12 Act of 1993 and Help America Vote Act of 2002 and maximize the
13 opportunity for a person to register to vote.
14     (e) Forms available in paper form. The State Board of
15 Elections shall make the voter registration form available in
16 regular paper stock and form in sufficient quantities for the
17 general public. The State Board of Elections may provide the
18 voter registration form to the Secretary of State, county
19 clerks, boards of election commissioners, designated agencies
20 of the State of Illinois, and any other person or entity
21 designated to have these forms by the Election Code in regular
22 paper stock and form or some other format deemed suitable by
23 the Board. Each county clerk or board of election commissioners
24 has the authority to design and print its own voter
25 registration form so long as the form complies with the
26 requirements of this Section. The State Board of Elections,
27 county clerks, boards of election commissioners, or other
28 designated agencies of the State of Illinois required to have
29 these forms under the Election Code shall provide a member of
30 the public with any reasonable number of forms that he or she
31 may request. Nothing in this Section shall permit the State
32 Board of Elections, county clerk, board of election
33 commissioners, or other appropriate election official who may
34 accept a voter registration form to refuse to accept a voter

 

 

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1 registration form because the form is printed on photocopier or
2 regular paper stock and form.
3     (f) Internet voter registration study. The State Board of
4 Elections shall investigate the feasibility of offering voter
5 registration on its website and consider voter registration
6 methods of other states in an effort to maximize the
7 opportunity for all Illinois citizens to register to vote. The
8 State Board of Elections shall assemble its findings in a
9 report and submit it to the General Assembly no later than
10 January 1, 2006. The report shall contain legislative
11 recommendations to the General Assembly on improving voter
12 registration in Illinois.
13 (Source: P.A. 93-574, eff. 8-21-03.)
 
14     (10 ILCS 5/1A-30 new)
15     Sec. 1A-30. College voter outreach. Each public
16 institution of higher learning in Illinois must make available
17 on its World Wide Web site a downloadable, printable voter
18 registration form that complies with the requirements in
19 subsection (d) of Section 1A-16 for the State Board of
20 Elections' voter registration form.
21     Each public institution of higher learning in Illinois must
22 include voter registration information and a voter
23 registration form supplied by the State Board of Elections
24 under subsection (e) of Section 1A-16 in any mailing of student
25 registration materials to an address located in Illinois. Each
26 public institution of higher learning must provide voter
27 registration information and a voter registration form
28 supplied by the State Board of Elections under subsection (e)
29 of Section 1A-16 to each person with whom the institution
30 conducts in-person student registration.".