Elections & Campaign Reform Committee

Filed: 3/10/2009

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 368

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 368 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing
5 Section 1A-16 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:

 

 

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1         (1) A comprehensive list of the names, addresses, phone
2     numbers, and websites, if applicable, of all county clerks
3     and boards of election commissioners in Illinois.
4         (2) A schedule of upcoming elections and the deadline
5     for voter registration.
6         (3) A downloadable, printable voter registration form,
7     in at least English and in Spanish versions, that a person
8     may complete and mail or submit to the State Board of
9     Elections or the appropriate county clerk or board of
10     election commissioners.
11 Any forms described under paragraph (3) must state the
12 following:
13         If you do not have a driver's license or social
14     security number, and this form is submitted by mail, and
15     you have never registered to vote in the jurisdiction you
16     are now registering in, then you must send, with this
17     application, either (i) a copy of a current and valid photo
18     identification, or (ii) a copy of a current utility bill,
19     bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other
20     government document that shows the name and address of the
21     voter. If you do not provide the information required
22     above, then you will be required to provide election
23     officials with either (i) or (ii) described above the first
24     time you vote at a voting place or by absentee ballot.
25     (b) Acceptance of registration forms by the State Board of
26 Elections and county clerks and board of election

 

 

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1 commissioners. The State Board of Elections, county clerks, and
2 board of election commissioners shall accept all completed
3 voter registration forms described in subsection (a)(3) of this
4 Section and Sections 1A-17 and 1A-30 that are:
5         (1) postmarked on or before the day that voter
6     registration is closed under the Election Code;
7         (2) not postmarked, but arrives no later than 5 days
8     after the close of registration;
9         (3) submitted in person by a person using the form on
10     or before the day that voter registration is closed under
11     the Election Code; or
12         (4) submitted in person by a person who submits one or
13     more forms on behalf of one or more persons who used the
14     form on or before the day that voter registration is closed
15     under the Election Code.
16     Upon the receipt of a registration form, the State Board of
17 Elections shall mark the date on which the form was received
18 and send the form via first class mail to the appropriate
19 county clerk or board of election commissioners, as the case
20 may be, within 2 business days based upon the home address of
21 the person submitting the registration form. The county clerk
22 and board of election commissioners shall accept and process
23 any form received from the State Board of Elections.
24     (c) Processing of registration forms by county clerks and
25 boards of election commissioners. The county clerk or board of
26 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

 

 

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1     residence), county, city, state, and zip code.
2         (9) Spaces for the person to fill in his or her mailing
3     address, city, state, and zip code if different from his or
4     her principal place of residence.
5         (10) A space for the person to fill in his or her
6     Illinois driver's license number if the person has a
7     driver's license.
8         (11) A space for a person without a driver's license to
9     fill in the last four digits of his or her social security
10     number if the person has a social security number.
11         (12) A space for a person without an Illinois driver's
12     license to fill in his or her identification number from
13     his or her State Identification card issued by the
14     Secretary of State.
15         (13) A space for the person to fill the name appearing
16     on his or her last voter registration, the street address
17     of his or her last registration, including the city,
18     county, state, and zip code.
19         (14) A space where the person swears or affirms the
20     following under penalty of perjury with his or her
21     signature:
22             (a) "I am a citizen of the United States.";
23             (b) "I will be at least 18 years old on or before
24         the next election.";
25             (c) "I will have lived in the State of Illinois and
26         in my election precinct at least 30 days as of the date

 

 

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1         of the next election."; and
2             "The information I have provided is true to the
3         best of my knowledge under penalty of perjury. If I
4         have provided false information, then I may be fined,
5         imprisoned, or if I am not a U.S. citizen, deported
6         from or refused entry into the United States."
7     (d-5) Compliance with federal law; rulemaking authority.
8 The voter registration form described in this Section shall be
9 consistent with the form prescribed by the Federal Election
10 Commission under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993,
11 P.L. 103-31, as amended from time to time, and the Help America
12 Vote Act of 2002, P.L. 107-252, in all relevant respects. The
13 State Board of Elections shall periodically update the form
14 based on changes to federal or State law. The State Board of
15 Elections shall promulgate any rules necessary for the
16 implementation of this Section; provided that the rules comport
17 with the letter and spirit of the National Voter Registration
18 Act of 1993 and Help America Vote Act of 2002 and maximize the
19 opportunity for a person to register to vote.
20     (e) Forms available in paper form. The State Board of
21 Elections shall make the voter registration form available in
22 regular paper stock and form in sufficient quantities for the
23 general public. The State Board of Elections may provide the
24 voter registration form to the Secretary of State, county
25 clerks, boards of election commissioners, designated agencies
26 of the State of Illinois, and any other person or entity

 

 

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

 

 

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1     (g) Transmittal of voter registration forms. Any person who
2 disseminates and collects a voter registration form must
3 transmit the registration form to an election authority within
4 7 days after its receipt.
5 (Source: P.A. 94-492, eff. 1-1-06; 94-645, eff. 8-22-05;
6 95-331, eff. 8-21-07.)".