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| | 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB2718 Introduced 2/6/2025, by Rep. Maurice A. West, II SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
| | | Creates the Facilitating Voting By All Eligible Citizens Act. Provides that all eligible citizens shall cast a ballot in every general election. Provides that an eligible citizen who casts a blank ballot in a general election shall satisfy the requirement. Provides that no fine, fee, or penalty shall be assessed if an eligible citizen does not cast a ballot in a general election. |
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| | A BILL FOR |
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| | HB2718 | | LRB104 09444 SPS 19504 b |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning elections.
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| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, |
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the |
| 5 | | Facilitating Voting By All Eligible Citizens Act.
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| 6 | | Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds and |
| 7 | | declares: |
| 8 | | (1) Section 4 of Article III of the Illinois Constitution |
| 9 | | provides that "The General Assembly by law shall define |
| 10 | | permanent residence for voting purposes, insure secrecy of |
| 11 | | voting and the integrity of the election process, and |
| 12 | | facilitate registration and voting by all qualified persons. |
| 13 | | Laws governing voter registration and conduct of elections |
| 14 | | shall be general and uniform." |
| 15 | | (2) While precise data does not exist, there are likely |
| 16 | | fewer than 10,000,000 citizens who are eligible to vote in |
| 17 | | Illinois. Of those eligible voters, approximately 8,100,000 |
| 18 | | are registered to vote and approximately 5,700,000 cast a |
| 19 | | ballot in the 2024 general election. |
| 20 | | (3) More than 24 countries, most notably Australia, treat |
| 21 | | voting as a civic duty, similar to jury duty. |
| 22 | | (4) Illinois can lead the nation in implementing an |
| 23 | | American-style universal civic voting policy.
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