SR0532 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0532 LRB103 34537 MST 64371 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Illinois residents may register to vote online, in person at the office of the election authority, at driver's license facilities, with deputy registers who are appointed in each jurisdiction, or through mail using the Illinois Voter Registration Application; and

WHEREAS, The Election Code provides that school principals or another qualified person designated by the principal may be appointed as a deputy registrar through their county clerk; and

WHEREAS, Public Act 103-0467 provided that a 16-year old may preregister to vote, with the registration held in abeyance by the Illinois State Board of Elections until that individual turns 18; and

WHEREAS, The Election Code provides that a county clerk may appoint an individual who is at least 17 years old and registered to vote in the State of Illinois to serve as a deputy registrar; and

WHEREAS, The Election Code specifically prevents a public high school from prohibiting nonpartisan voter registration activities on its premise; and

WHEREAS, A 2020 survey from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University revealed that only 50% of young people, ages 18 - 29, were taught how to register to vote in high school; and

WHEREAS, A 2022 post-election survey conducted by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University found that 16% of Latinx youth reported that they did not register to vote because they did not know how to register, compared to 6% of non-Latinx youth; and

WHEREAS, Research found that, during the 2008 elections, African Americans who preregistered to vote in Florida at 16 were 5.2% more likely to vote than those who registered after turning 18; and

WHEREAS, In its 2014 report to the General Assembly, the Illinois Task Force on Civic Engagement recommended that Illinois public schools should provide access for eligible students to register to vote and encourage students to vote on Election Day as one of the ways to substantially increase civic literacy and civically informed members of the public; and

WHEREAS, The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University found that teaching students about voting increased the likelihood of student voting when they turned 18 by 40%; and

WHEREAS, Research published by the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute for American Democracy indicated that there is a positive correlation between a child voting in their first age-eligible election and the probability that their mother votes in the next presidential election, and the correlation is stronger for nonwhite children and children who qualified for free or reduced lunch, which suggests that registering young people to vote may improve civic outcomes not only for students but for their families as well; and

WHEREAS, Developmental psychologists found that early civic engagement, through voting, volunteering, and activism, is associated with positive health outcomes later in life, including improved mental health, greater educational attainment, and higher personal and household incomes; and

WHEREAS, When the State of Illinois expanded who may serve as an election judge in 2003 to include students, the American Political Science Association surveyed alumni of Loyola Academy in Wilmette after they served as election judges while in high school, and the findings confirmed that practical political experience in high school, if presented in tandem with classroom learning, can increase later political involvement; and

WHEREAS, Numerous nonpartisan organizations are eager to help facilitate voter registration drives on high school campuses; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize that public high schools in the State are uniquely positioned to reach all young people, that public schools have a civic purpose to prepare youth, regardless of college or career aspirations, to participate in our democracy, and that public schools fulfill that civic purpose when the school provides education on the registration process and the infrastructure to register qualified students to vote; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge election authorities in the State of Illinois to conduct outreach and trainings for high school principals to encourage principals to become deputy registrars; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge election authorities in the State of Illinois to conduct outreach and trainings for qualified students to serve as deputy registrars so that students appointed as deputy registrars may register qualified peers to vote on their school campuses; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage every public high school in the State of Illinois to conduct voter registration drives on its campus for all qualified students.