Full Text of HB5999 99th General Assembly
HB5999 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016 HB5999 Introduced , by Rep. Christian L. Mitchell SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
| 10 ILCS 5/1A-16.6 | | 10 ILCS 5/1A-16.6A new | |
|
Amends the Election Code. Provides that the Secretary of State shall create by rule an automatic voter registration pilot program. Contains a provision allowing individuals to opt-out of the automatic registration. Establishes requirements for the program. Effective immediately.
|
| |
| | A BILL FOR |
|
| | | HB5999 | | LRB099 19098 MGM 43487 b |
|
| 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-16.6 and by adding Section 1A-16.6A as follows: | 6 | | (10 ILCS 5/1A-16.6) | 7 | | Sec. 1A-16.6. Government agency voter registration. | 8 | | (a) By April 1, 2016, the State Board of Elections shall | 9 | | establish and maintain a portal for government agency | 10 | | registration that permits an eligible person to electronically | 11 | | apply to register to vote or to update his or her existing | 12 | | voter registration whenever he or she conducts business, either | 13 | | online or in person, with a designated government agency. The | 14 | | portal shall interface with the online voter registration | 15 | | system established in Section 1A-16.5 of this Code and shall be | 16 | | capable of receiving and processing voter registration | 17 | | application information, including electronic signatures, from | 18 | | a designated government agency. The State Board of Elections | 19 | | shall modify the online voter registration system as necessary | 20 | | to implement this Section. | 21 | | Voter registration data received from a designated | 22 | | government agency through the online registration system shall | 23 | | be processed as provided for in Section 1A-16.5 of this Code. |
| | | HB5999 | - 2 - | LRB099 19098 MGM 43487 b |
|
| 1 | | Whenever the registration interface is accessible to the | 2 | | general public, including, but not limited to, online | 3 | | transactions, the interface shall allow the applicant to | 4 | | complete the process as provided for in Section 1A-16.5 of this | 5 | | Code. The online interface shall be capable of providing the | 6 | | applicant with the applicant's voter registration status with | 7 | | the State Board of Elections and, if registered, the | 8 | | applicant's current registration address. The applicant shall | 9 | | not be required to re-enter any registration data, such as | 10 | | name, address, and birth date, if the designated government | 11 | | agency already has that information on file. The applicant | 12 | | shall be informed that by choosing to register to vote or to | 13 | | update his or her existing voter registration, the applicant | 14 | | consents to the transfer of the applicant's personal | 15 | | information to the State Board of Elections. | 16 | | Except for Secretary of State employees automatically | 17 | | registering applicants to vote under Section 1A-16.6A, | 18 | | whenever Whenever a government employee is accessing the | 19 | | registration system while servicing the applicant, the | 20 | | government employee shall notify the applicant of the | 21 | | applicant's registration status with the State Board of | 22 | | Elections and, if registered, the applicant's current | 23 | | registration address. If the applicant elects to register to | 24 | | vote or to update his or her existing voter registration, the | 25 | | government employee shall collect the needed information and | 26 | | assist the applicant with his or her registration. The |
| | | HB5999 | - 3 - | LRB099 19098 MGM 43487 b |
|
| 1 | | applicant shall be informed that by choosing to register to | 2 | | vote or to update his or her existing voter registration, the | 3 | | applicant consents to the transfer of the applicant's personal | 4 | | information to the State Board of Elections. | 5 | | In accordance with technical specifications provided by | 6 | | the State Board of Elections, each designated government agency | 7 | | shall maintain a data transfer mechanism capable of | 8 | | transmitting voter registration application information, | 9 | | including electronic signatures where available, to the online | 10 | | voter registration system established in Section 1A-16.5 of | 11 | | this Code. Each designated government agency shall establish | 12 | | and operate a voter registration system capable of transmitting | 13 | | voter registration application information to the portal as | 14 | | described in this Section by July 1, 2016. | 15 | | (b) Whenever an applicant's data is transferred from a | 16 | | designated government agency, the agency must transmit a | 17 | | signature image if available. If no signature image was | 18 | | provided by the agency or if no signature image is available in | 19 | | the Secretary of State's database or the statewide voter | 20 | | registration database, the applicant must be notified that | 21 | | their registration will remain in a pending status and the | 22 | | applicant will be required to provide identification and a | 23 | | signature to the election authority on Election Day in the | 24 | | polling place or during early voting. | 25 | | (c) The State Board of Elections shall track registration | 26 | | data received through the online registration system that |
| | | HB5999 | - 4 - | LRB099 19098 MGM 43487 b |
|
| 1 | | originated from a designated government agency for the purposes | 2 | | of maintaining statistics required by the federal National | 3 | | Voter Registration Act of 1993, as amended. | 4 | | (d) The State Board of Elections shall submit a report to | 5 | | the General Assembly and the Governor by December 1, 2015 | 6 | | detailing the progress made to implement the government agency | 7 | | voter registration portal described in this Section. | 8 | | (e) The Board shall adopt rules, in consultation with the | 9 | | impacted agencies. | 10 | | (f) As used in this Section, a "designated government | 11 | | agency" means the Secretary of State's Driver Services and | 12 | | Vehicle Services Departments, the Department of Human | 13 | | Services, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the | 14 | | Department of Employment Security, and the Department on Aging.
| 15 | | (Source: P.A. 98-1171, eff. 6-1-15 .) | 16 | | (10 ILCS 5/1A-16.6A new) | 17 | | Sec. 1A-16.6A. Automatic voter registration pilot program. | 18 | | (a) As soon as practicable, the Secretary of State shall | 19 | | create by rule an automatic voter registration pilot program. | 20 | | Except as provided in subsection (b), the automatic voter | 21 | | registration program shall automatically register every | 22 | | citizen of Illinois that is 17 years of age or older and a | 23 | | resident of Cook County to vote at the time the individual | 24 | | applies for or renews a driver's license, other than a | 25 | | temporary visitor's driver's license, or registers a motor |
| | | HB5999 | - 5 - | LRB099 19098 MGM 43487 b |
|
| 1 | | vehicle, provided that the applicant is not already registered. | 2 | | The automatic voter registration pilot program shall be | 3 | | conducted by Secretary of State employees using the online | 4 | | voter registration portal pursuant to Section 1A-16.6 of the | 5 | | Election Code. | 6 | | (b) The Secretary of State shall include on every form for | 7 | | a driver's license renewal or application or vehicle | 8 | | registration, excluding applications or other forms relating | 9 | | to temporary visitor's drivers licenses, the opportunity for | 10 | | applicants to opt-out of this automatic voter registration. | 11 | | These forms shall include, in bold-face font, a box for the | 12 | | person to check yes or no that asks, "If you want to opt-out of | 13 | | the Secretary of State's automatic voter registration program, | 14 | | check this box. IF YOU ARE NOT A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES, | 15 | | YOU MUST CHECK THE BOX". Individuals that check the box shall | 16 | | not be automatically registered. | 17 | | (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the | 18 | | contrary, any individual that is unknowingly or | 19 | | unintentionally registered to vote under this Section shall not | 20 | | be liable if his or her registration violates any provision of | 21 | | State law. | 22 | | (d) This Section is repealed on January 1, 2018.
| 23 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 24 | | becoming law.
|
|