Section 216.70  Processing Voter Registration Applications

a)         The State Board of Elections shall, and all persons accepting from applicants Voter Registration Applications are encouraged to, transmit executed applications to the election authority:

1)         not more than ten days after execution, if executed five days or more prior to the date upon which voter registration closes, or

2)         not more than five days after execution, if executed less than five days prior to the date upon which registration closes but prior to the close of registration.

b)         Applications arriving prior to the close of registration at an election authority unaccompanied by a Voter Registration Application Transmittal shall, for the purpose of first time voting only, be deemed to be applications received by mail, and all applicants whose applications are so transmitted shall be advised that they will be required to vote in person at the first election in which they vote.

c)         A Voter Registration Application may be executed while voter registration is closed, but in such case such application shall not entitle the applicant to vote at any election held before registration reopens.  Applications bearing no postmark arriving by mail not later than five days after the close of registration shall be deemed to have been filed prior to the close of registration.  Applications arriving by mail after the close of registration, but bearing a postmark earlier than the day upon which registration closed shall be deemed to have been filed prior to the close of registration no matter when actually received. Applications which arrive by mail bearing a postmark later than the day upon which registration closed shall not be deemed to have been filed prior to the close of registration no matter when actually received.

d)         The State Board of Elections shall assign to each township supervisor, county commissioner in counties not under township organization, and designated agency a block of document control numbers, the identity of which block shall be confidential, which such entities may use on each Voter Registration Application Transmittal accompanying batches of applications sent to election authorities.

e)         Every Voter Registration Application Transmittal shall note on its face how many applications are being transmitted, a document control number from the block assigned to the entity submitting the Voter Registration Application Transmittal, identified in subsection (d) of this Section, and the date of transmittal.

f)         Every application received by an election authority shall be examined to determine if the information contained on the application is sufficient on its face to cause the applicant to be listed among the voters of the jurisdiction, or if the application duplicates a record or Voter Registration Card already on file with the election authority.

1)         If the application duplicates a record already on file with the election authority, the applicant shall be sent a forwardable Disposition of Registration notice advising the voter that he or she is already registered to vote.

2)         If the information is insufficient, the election authority shall send the applicant a forwardable Disposition of Registration notice informing the applicant:

A)        that his or her application has been rejected, identifying the reason for rejection, and

B)        that he or she will not be entitled to vote until a new and sufficient application has been received by the election authority.