Bill Text: IL SR0971 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Expresses support for ensuring that voters with a print disability may exercise their right to vote in a manner that is full and equal. Urges election authorities in the State to conduct outreach to voters with a print disability to inform these voters of the options available to them to exercise their right to vote privately and independently.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-03 - Referred to Assignments [SR0971 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-SR0971-Introduced.html
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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, Voting is one of the central tenets of our | ||||||
| 3 | democracy and a fundamental right of American citizens; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act | ||||||
| 5 | requires state and local governments to ensure that people | ||||||
| 6 | with disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to vote; | ||||||
| 7 | and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of | ||||||
| 9 | 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in | ||||||
| 10 | any program or activity that receives federal financial | ||||||
| 11 | assistance, including federal elections; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, The Help America Vote Act of 2002 requires | ||||||
| 13 | jurisdictions to make voting systems accessible in a manner | ||||||
| 14 | that provides the same opportunity to voters with disabilities | ||||||
| 15 | for access and participation as is provided to non-disabled | ||||||
| 16 | voters; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, The U.S. Election Assistance Commission's 2021 | ||||||
| 18 | report on Disability and Voting Accessibility in the 2020 | ||||||
| 19 | Elections revealed that 11% of voters with disabilities had | ||||||
| 20 | trouble voting in 2020; and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Public Act 102-819 requires the State Board of | ||||||
| 2 | Elections to provide a certified remote accessible vote by | ||||||
| 3 | mail system through which a vote by mail ballot can be | ||||||
| 4 | delivered by electronic transmission to voters with print | ||||||
| 5 | disabilities and through which voters with print disabilities | ||||||
| 6 | are able to mark and verify their ballots using assistive | ||||||
| 7 | technology; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Public Act 102-819 requires election authorities | ||||||
| 9 | to permit voters with a print disability to receive and mark | ||||||
| 10 | their vote by mail ballots through the certified remote | ||||||
| 11 | accessible vote by mail system provided by the State Board of | ||||||
| 12 | Elections or through a certified remote accessible vote by | ||||||
| 13 | mail system provided by the election authority itself; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, Illinois voters with a print disability may apply | ||||||
| 15 | for a single accessible vote by mail ballot or may apply to | ||||||
| 16 | permanently receive accessible vote by mail ballots so a voter | ||||||
| 17 | with a print disability may receive and mark their vote by mail | ||||||
| 18 | ballots electronically; therefore, be it
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| 19 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | ||||||
| 20 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we express support for | ||||||
| 21 | ensuring that voters with a print disability may exercise | ||||||
| 22 | their right to vote in a manner that is full and equal; and be | ||||||
| 23 | it further
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