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1     AN ACT concerning elections.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing Section
5 1A-16 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
25     Elections or the appropriate county clerk or board of
26     election commissioners.
27 Any forms described under paragraph (3) must state the
28 following:
29         If you do not have a driver's license or social
30     security number, and this form is submitted by mail, and
31     you have never registered to vote in the jurisdiction you
32     are now registering in, then you must send, with this

 

 

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1     application, either (i) a copy of a current and valid photo
2     identification, or (ii) a copy of a current utility bill,
3     bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other
4     government document that shows the name and address of the
5     voter. If you do not provide the information required
6     above, then you will be required to provide election
7     officials with either (i) or (ii) described above the first
8     time you vote at a voting place or by absentee ballot.
9     (b) Acceptance of registration forms by the State Board of
10 Elections and county clerks and board of election
11 commissioners. The State Board of Elections, county clerks, and
12 board of election commissioners shall accept all completed
13 voter registration forms described in subsection (a)(3) of this
14 Section and Section 1A-30 that are:
15         (1) postmarked on or before the day that voter
16     registration is closed under the Election Code;
17         (2) not postmarked, but arrives no later than 5 days
18     after the close of registration;
19         (3) submitted in person by a person using the form on
20     or before the day that voter registration is closed under
21     the Election Code; or
22         (4) submitted in person by a person who submits one or
23     more forms on behalf of one or more persons who used the
24     form on or before the day that voter registration is closed
25     under the Election Code.
26     Upon the receipt of a registration form, the State Board of
27 Elections shall mark the date on which the form was received
28 and send the form via first class mail to the appropriate
29 county clerk or board of election commissioners, as the case
30 may be, within 2 business days based upon the home address of
31 the person submitting the registration form. The county clerk
32 and board of election commissioners shall accept and process
33 any form received from the State Board of Elections.
34     (c) Processing of registration forms by county clerks and
35 boards of election commissioners. The county clerk or board of
36 election commissioners shall promulgate procedures for

 

 

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1 processing the voter registration form.
2     (d) Contents of the voter registration form. The State
3 Board shall create a voter registration form, which must
4 contain the following content:
5         (1) Instructions for completing the form.
6         (2) A summary of the qualifications to register to vote
7     in Illinois.
8         (3) Instructions for mailing in or submitting the form
9     in person.
10         (4) The phone number for the State Board of Elections
11     should a person submitting the form have questions.
12         (5) A box for the person to check that explains one of
13     3 reasons for submitting the form:
14             (a) new registration;
15             (b) change of address; or
16             (c) change of name.
17         (6) a box for the person to check yes or no that asks,
18     "Are you a citizen of the United States?", a box for the
19     person to check yes or no that asks, "Will you be 18 years
20     of age on or before election day?", and a statement of "If
21     you checked 'no' in response to either of these questions,
22     then do not complete this form.".
23         (7) A space for the person to fill in his or her home
24     telephone number.
25         (8) Spaces for the person to fill in his or her first,
26     middle, and last names, street address (principal place of
27     residence), county, city, state, and zip code.
28         (9) Spaces for the person to fill in his or her mailing
29     address, city, state, and zip code if different from his or
30     her principal place of residence.
31         (10) A space for the person to fill in his or her
32     Illinois driver's license number if the person has a
33     driver's license.
34         (11) A space for a person without a driver's license to
35     fill in the last four digits of his or her social security
36     number if the person has a social security number.

 

 

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1         (12) A space for a person without an Illinois driver's
2     license to fill in his or her identification number from
3     his or her State Identification card issued by the
4     Secretary of State.
5         (13) A space for the person to fill the name appearing
6     on his or her last voter registration, the street address
7     of his or her last registration, including the city,
8     county, state, and zip code.
9         (14) A space where the person swears or affirms the
10     following under penalty of perjury with his or her
11     signature:
12             (a) "I am a citizen of the United States.";
13             (b) "I will be at least 18 years old on or before
14         the next election.";
15             (c) "I will have lived in the State of Illinois and
16         in my election precinct at least 30 days as of the date
17         of the next election."; and
18             "The information I have provided is true to the
19         best of my knowledge under penalty of perjury. If I
20         have provided false information, then than I may be
21         fined, imprisoned, or if I am not a U.S. citizen,
22         deported from or refused entry into the United States."
23     (d) Compliance with federal law; rulemaking authority. The
24 voter registration form described in this Section shall be
25 consistent with the form prescribed by the Federal Election
26 Commission under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993,
27 P.L. 103-31, as amended from time to time, and the Help America
28 Vote Act of 2002, P.L. 107-252, in all relevant respects. The
29 State Board of Elections shall periodically update the form
30 based on changes to federal or State law. The State Board of
31 Elections shall promulgate any rules necessary for the
32 implementation of this Section; provided that the rules comport
33 with the letter and spirit of the National Voter Registration
34 Act of 1993 and Help America Vote Act of 2002 and maximize the
35 opportunity for a person to register to vote.
36     (e) Forms available in paper form. The State Board of

 

 

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1 Elections shall make the voter registration form available in
2 regular paper stock and form in sufficient quantities for the
3 general public. The State Board of Elections may provide the
4 voter registration form to the Secretary of State, county
5 clerks, boards of election commissioners, designated agencies
6 of the State of Illinois, and any other person or entity
7 designated to have these forms by the Election Code in regular
8 paper stock and form or some other format deemed suitable by
9 the Board. Each county clerk or board of election commissioners
10 has the authority to design and print its own voter
11 registration form so long as the form complies with the
12 requirements of this Section. The State Board of Elections,
13 county clerks, boards of election commissioners, or other
14 designated agencies of the State of Illinois required to have
15 these forms under the Election Code shall provide a member of
16 the public with any reasonable number of forms that he or she
17 may request. Nothing in this Section shall permit the State
18 Board of Elections, county clerk, board of election
19 commissioners, or other appropriate election official who may
20 accept a voter registration form to refuse to accept a voter
21 registration form because the form is printed on photocopier or
22 regular paper stock and form.
23     (f) Internet voter registration study. The State Board of
24 Elections shall investigate the feasibility of offering voter
25 registration on its website and consider voter registration
26 methods of other states in an effort to maximize the
27 opportunity for all Illinois citizens to register to vote. The
28 State Board of Elections shall assemble its findings in a
29 report and submit it to the General Assembly no later than
30 January 1, 2006. The report shall contain legislative
31 recommendations to the General Assembly on improving voter
32 registration in Illinois.
33 (Source: P.A. 93-574, eff. 8-21-03.)
 
34     (10 ILCS 5/1A-30 new)
35     Sec. 1A-30. College voter outreach. Each public

 

 

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1 institution of higher learning in Illinois must make available
2 on its World Wide Web site a downloadable, printable voter
3 registration form that complies with the requirements in
4 subsection (d) of Section 1A-16 for the State Board of
5 Elections' voter registration form.
6     Each public institution of higher learning in Illinois must
7 include voter registration information and a voter
8 registration form supplied by the State Board of Elections
9 under subsection (e) of Section 1A-16 in any mailing of student
10 registration materials to an address located in Illinois. Each
11 public institution of higher learning must provide voter
12 registration information and a voter registration form
13 supplied by the State Board of Elections under subsection (e)
14 of Section 1A-16 to each person with whom the institution
15 conducts in-person student registration.