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90_HB1145
New Act
Creates the Voting by Minors Act. Requires the State
Board of Elections and State Board of Education to jointly
develop a program under which kindergarten through 12th grade
students in participating school districts located in
participating counties vote in a simulated election conducted
at actual polling places in conjunction with the 1998 general
election. Provides that implementation of the program shall
be accomplished with volunteers and private funding.
Requires the State Board of Elections and State Board of
Education to develop an educational component of the program
to be offered to the schools of participating districts and
to adopt rules preparatory to the program's implementation.
Specifies reporting and timetable requirements. Effective
immediately.
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1 AN ACT relating to simulated voting by minors.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Voting by Minors Act.
6 Section 5. Development of program.
7 (a) The State Board of Elections and the State Board of
8 Education shall develop a pilot program under which
9 elementary and secondary school students in kindergarten
10 through grade 12 in participating school districts and
11 counties may participate in a simulated election held on the
12 date of the general election in 1998.
13 (b) The program shall be designed for implementation
14 only in those counties in which the election authority elects
15 to participate in the program. Each school district located
16 in those counties may elect to participate in the program.
17 (c) In each county and school district electing to
18 participate in the program, the program shall be implemented
19 in accordance with standards jointly developed for that
20 purpose by the State Board of Elections and State Board of
21 Education.
22 Section 10. Funding.
23 (a) Implementation of the program is contingent upon
24 receipt of the necessary funding from private sources.
25 (b) The program as developed by the State Board of
26 Elections and State Board of Education: (i) shall require the
27 formation of a nonprofit, volunteer administrative board in
28 each participating county and a coordinating statewide board
29 that is also nonprofit and volunteer; (ii) shall prescribe
30 the manner in which those boards shall be formed; (iii) shall
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1 prescribe the responsibilities of those boards, including
2 securing the necessary private funding and volunteer
3 assistance required to implement the program; and (iv) shall
4 prescribe measures designed to assure fiscal integrity in the
5 use of donated funds and equitable distribution of those
6 funds for program purposes in the participating counties and
7 school districts.
8 Section 15. Volunteer assistance. State funds shall not
9 be used for implementation of the program. The program shall
10 be conducted and operated with volunteer assistance and
11 private funds. The State Board of Elections and State Board
12 of Education, however, shall develop the program as required
13 by this Act and may make their personnel available on a
14 reasonable basis for consulting purposes.
15 Section 20. Educational curriculum. A component of the
16 program as developed by the State Board of Education and
17 State Board of Elections shall include a reasonable amount of
18 classroom instruction, as part of existing courses offered by
19 a participating school district, concerning voting history
20 and laws, voting procedures, election campaigns, media
21 influence, and the importance of voter participation. The
22 suggested curriculum shall be developed by the State Board of
23 Education and State Board of Elections by January 1, 1998 and
24 shall be made available to school districts that may later
25 elect to participate in the program. The suggested
26 curriculum shall be based upon 6 to 12 hours of classroom
27 instruction and shall include homework assignments that
28 necessitate dialogue between children and their parents or
29 guardians concerning the voting process and specifically the
30 candidates and propositions to be voted upon at the general
31 election.
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1 Section 25. Basic program requirements. The program
2 standards jointly developed under subsection (c) of Section 5
3 shall require: (i) that children register to vote in the
4 simulated election; (ii) that on the day of the 1998 general
5 election the children accompany their parents to the polls
6 and vote on separate ballots in voting booths adjacent to the
7 adult booths; (iii) that the children vote on the same races
8 and propositions as the adult voters, except that the number
9 of races or propositions on which the younger children vote
10 may be reduced as necessary based on their grade level; (iv)
11 that the ballots be designed, using pictures and symbols as
12 necessary, so that all children may vote their choice even
13 though they are unable to read; (v) that simulated election
14 judges participate at the polls as part of the simulated
15 election; (vi) that the results of the simulated election be
16 tabulated beginning after the closing of the polls and the
17 results announced on the following day; and (vi) other
18 standards that the State Board of Elections and State Board
19 of Education determine will contribute to the voting
20 experience of the children.
21 Section 30. Report. The State Board of Elections and
22 State Board of Education shall develop the voting by minors
23 pilot program and distribute it to all county election
24 authorities and school districts in January of 1998. In
25 addition, before January 1, 1998, the State Board of
26 Elections and State Board of Education shall jointly file
27 with the Governor and the General Assembly a copy of the
28 program together with a written report recommending any
29 additional legislation necessary before actual implementation
30 of the program at the 1998 general election.
31 Section 35. Timetable. The State Board of Elections and
32 State Board of Education shall adopt rules under which (i)
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1 counties and school districts that chose to participate in
2 the voting by minors program are determined beginning no
3 later than March 1, 1998, (ii) the county and statewide
4 boards described in subsection (b) of Section 10 are
5 established no later than July 1, 1998, and (iii) the
6 availability of sufficient private funding is determined by
7 August 1, 1998, along with those counties and school
8 districts that will be actual program participants.
9 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
10 becoming law.