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| 1 | AN ACT concerning voting technology.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||
| 5 | Accessible Voting Technology for the Blind Act of 2004. | ||||||
| 6 | Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act: | ||||||
| 7 | "Access" means all of the following: | ||||||
| 8 | (1) The ability to retrieve all of the information | ||||||
| 9 | contained in the ballot. | ||||||
| 10 | (2) The ability to retrieve any instructional | ||||||
| 11 | information necessary for the effective casting of the | ||||||
| 12 | ballot, in the form of audible prompts, online help, | ||||||
| 13 | recorded materials, knowledgeable officials, or other | ||||||
| 14 | appropriate methods. | ||||||
| 15 | (3) The ability to make and verify all selections | ||||||
| 16 | contained in the ballot, including write in selections. | ||||||
| 17 | (4) The ability to move freely through all the | ||||||
| 18 | information contained in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3), | ||||||
| 19 | including, but not limited to, the ability to move both | ||||||
| 20 | forward and backward through all items and the ability to | ||||||
| 21 | skip items. | ||||||
| 22 | "Privacy" means the same level of secrecy of the ballot and | ||||||
| 23 | voting process which is accorded to all voters, using visual | ||||||
| 24 | and nonvisual means. | ||||||
| 25 | "Nonvisual" means methods of retrieving information, such | ||||||
| 26 | as synthesized speech, Braille, or other methods, that do not | ||||||
| 27 | require sight.
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| 28 | Section 10. Requirements for accessible voting technology | ||||||
| 29 | and systems.
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| 30 | (a) The State Board of Elections shall require (by | ||||||
| 31 | certification or otherwise) that the voting technology and | ||||||
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| 1 | systems used by the State or any political subdivision provide | ||||||
| 2 | blind and visually impaired individuals with access and | ||||||
| 3 | privacy, which is equivalent to that provided to individuals | ||||||
| 4 | who are not blind or visually impaired, including the ability | ||||||
| 5 | for the voter to cast and verify all selections made by both | ||||||
| 6 | visual and nonvisual means.
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| 7 | (b) In requiring nonvisual access and determining | ||||||
| 8 | appropriate methods and systems for providing it pursuant to | ||||||
| 9 | subsection (a), the State Board of Elections shall obtain | ||||||
| 10 | recommendations from representatives of blind consumer | ||||||
| 11 | organizations, experts in accessible software and hardware | ||||||
| 12 | design, and any other individual or organization the Board | ||||||
| 13 | determines to be appropriate.
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| 14 | Section 15. Technology and systems compliance. | ||||||
| 15 | (a) Compliance with this Act in regard to voting technology | ||||||
| 16 | and systems purchased prior to the effective date of this Act | ||||||
| 17 | shall be achieved at the time of procurement of an upgrade or | ||||||
| 18 | replacement of the existing equipment or systems. | ||||||
| 19 | (b) Voting technology and systems purchased after the | ||||||
| 20 | effective date of this Act must meet or exceed the standards | ||||||
| 21 | set by the Federal Elections Commission on April 30, 2002. | ||||||
| 22 | Section 20. Compliance with federal law; rule making | ||||||
| 23 | authority. The State Board of Elections shall promulgate any | ||||||
| 24 | rules necessary for the implementation of this Act, provided | ||||||
| 25 | that the rules comport with the Help America Vote Act of 2002, | ||||||
| 26 | P.L. 107-252, in all relevant respects and that recommendations | ||||||
| 27 | from representatives of consumer organizations of the blind | ||||||
| 28 | shall be considered.
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| 29 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
| 30 | becoming law.
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