Bill Text: IL HB5999 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: 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.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-11 - Referred to Rules Committee [HB5999 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2015-HB5999-Introduced.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning elections.
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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 5. The Election Code is amended by changing Section | |||||||||||||||||||||
5 | 1A-16.6 and by adding Section 1A-16.6A as follows:
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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. |
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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 |
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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 |
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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.
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15 | (Source: P.A. 98-1171, eff. 6-1-15 .)
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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 |
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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.
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23 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
24 | becoming law.
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