Making Your Vote Count! 

 Re: 2007 Legislative Agenda

Dear Friends, 

Listed below is our office’s legislative agenda. Each bill is currently being pushed forward in Springfield with the support of legislators who share our desire to strengthen and simplify the electoral process.  Click on the bill number for updated status information.  Your support for these proposals would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,


David Orr

HB1685 | A bill to make it possible for eligible high school juniors to serve as election judges | LaShawn K. Ford, Aaron Schock, Greg Harris, Karen A. Yarbrough - Mike Boland, Marlow H. Colvin, Jay C. Hoffman, Ed Sullivan Jr., Careen M Gordon, Elizabeth Hernandez, Cynthia Soto, Edward J. Acevedo, Susana A Mendoza, Maria Antonia Berrios, Kenneth Dunkin, Charles E. Jefferson, Mary E. Flowers, Monique D. Davis, Elga L. Jefferies and Annazette Collins
HB1685 would make it possible for high school juniors who meet a certain criteria to serve as election judges. In the past, Clerk Orr’s office initiated a program which recruited high school seniors with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher to serve as judges on Election Day. The Clerk’s office was so impressed by the service that these young students provided that they worked with legislators in the house to expand the law and make it possible for juniors with a 3.0 GPA or higher to serve as well. These young students will learn about the democratic system as they work with other judges to provide an essential service for the voters in their community. They will also receive up to $150 in compensation for their time and effort.  

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Unnumbered Bills | Two proposals to ensure ballot accuracy and prevent costly last minute changes
New equipment and electronic voting have changed the landscape of elections, but the timetable remains the same. As a result there is insufficient time to prepare ballots and equipment. Two steps would greatly enhance the ability of county clerks to properly prepare for Election Day:

• By moving the candidate filing date forward by two to four weeks clerk’s offices would have more time to thoroughly review ballots and ensure accuracy.
• Shifting the Early Voting schedule so that it would begin later and end later would also help to provide the time necessary to properly review ballots and make sure that no costly last minute changes are required. Early voting currently ends five days before Election Day.  While these proposals have not been submitted as bills, the Cook County Clerk’s office would like to work with legislators to attach these proposals to pending legislation. 

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HB3769 | A bill to ensure that voters who have registered by mail are not disenfranchised | Julie Hamos
HB3769 currently requires first time voters who registered by mail or the Motor Voter form to vote in person to verify their identity. As a result, voters who are unable to return to their home precincts on Election Day have been disenfranchised in large numbers. This requirement has been obviated by the Help America Vote Act’s mandated cross-checks with social security and driver’s license numbers. College students in particular have been affected by this restriction.    The Clerk’s office would like to amend HB3769, the Motor Voter law, to allow for college students and other individuals who have registered through the mail to vote absentee.

HB1753 | A bill to study the impact of Election Day voter registration | Rep. Lou Lang and Barbara Flynn Currie
HB1753 would establish the “Election Day Voter Registration Commission Act.” This commission would consist of eight legislators and eight public citizens to study the possible effects of initiating legislation which would make it possible for citizens to register to vote on Election Day. The commission would present their findings to the General Assembly. The bill dictates that commission members be appointed by legislative leaders from both parties and be abolished no later then January 1, 2009.

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HB1619 | A bill to simplify the write-in voting process | Rep. Elaine Nekritz
HB1619 would amend the Election Code to ensure that ballot sheets clearly identify how voters should cast their votes for write-in candidates. The bill would require that a space for write-in votes appear either below each office on the ballot sheet or at the end of the ballot. Ballots which require voters to cast write-in votes at the end of the ballot would simply ask voters to fill in the title of the office and the name of their preferred candidate in the appropriate spaces.

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 HB426 | Shifting the Primary Election to February 5 | Speaker Madigan 
As you may know, the Illinois House recently passed a bill which would move the Illinois’ general primary election to the first Tuesday in February. Under current law the general primary is on the third Tuesday in March. Moving the primary to early February ensures that Illinois plays a key role in the selection of presidential candidates. 

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FEDERAL ELECTION LEGISLATION OF INTEREST

HR811, S559 | The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act | Rep. Russ Holt D-NJ | Sen. Bill Nelson D-FL
The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act includes requirements for voter verified paper audits trail for all electronic voting systems, creation of state audit boards to audit election results and provisions for disability access.   The house bill currently has 196 co-sponsors and has been referred to the House Elections Subcommittee. Senator Feinstein will also be introducing legislation in the Senate requiring a voter verifiable paper audit trail and her proposal may incorporate aspects of Nelson’s bill.

HR101 | The Federal Election Integrity Act | Rep. Susan Davis D-CA
The Federal Election Integrity Act amends the Federal Election Campaign Act to prohibit some state election officials from engaging in campaign activity. The bill provides for civil penalties to be imposed by the FEC. The bill has been referred to the Committee on House Administration.

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S737 | The Voter Advocate and Democracy Index Act | Sen. Obama D-IL
The Voter Advocate and Democracy Index Act establishes a Voter Advocate Office within the EAC to create a Democracy Index which would rank states according to a system of measurable state election practices. The bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee and while unlikely to succeed on its own, it may soon be added as an amendment to a comprehensive election reform bill.

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HR1381, S804 | The Count Every Vote Act | Rep. Jones D-OH | Sen. Clinton D-NY
The Count Every Vote Act amends the Help America Vote Act to require mandatory audits, equitable allocation of voting machines, election day registration and many other mandates. 

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STATE INITIATIVES OF INTEREST

Driver’s License Registration
Minnesota, Michigan and Maryland are proposing that any citizen be automatically registered to vote when obtaining a drivers' license - including 16-year-olds, who would be "pre-registered." Upon turning 18 - which would remain the voting age - the states would then add that person to the voting rolls and send a registration card to his or her address. The same bill will also allow for automatic updates of voters’ addresses any time a voter files a change of address with the U.S. Postal Service.  Currently voters have to re-register every time they move. 

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2005 Election Reform Success

In 2005, the Illinois General Assembly approved and Governor Blagojevich signed several important reforms including:

Establishing Early Voting. Allowing voters to cast ballots in person at designated sites before Election Day without having to provide a reason or excuse would make voting more convenient for the elderly and voters with busy workday schedules. It would also help take pressure off polling places and result in shorter lines on Election Day. Under the bill, early voting would begin 22 days before the election and end the Thursday before.

Allowing People Who Change Their Names to Vote. Current state law prohibits election authorities from counting ballots cast by voters who have changed their name but have not re-registered to vote. This disenfranchises primarily women who have changed their last names because of marriage or divorce, but who have not moved.

Eliminating Local Canvassing Boards. Because local election authorities (county clerks and boards of election commissioners) conduct elections and produce the results, requiring local canvassing boards to certify results is a process that is entirely ceremonial and no longer needed.

Extending the Counting of Absentee Ballots. Too often, delays in mail delivery prevent election officials from counting absentee ballots because they arrive after Election Day. Accepting absentee ballots that are postmarked before Election Day and received by local election authorities up to 14 days after the election would permit voters who cast ballots in good faith to have their votes counted.

A special thanks to our sponsors: state Senators Don Harmon, Terry Link, and Jim DeLeo; House Speaker Michael Madigan; and state Representatives Robin Kelly, Julie Hamos, Sara Feigenholtz, Karen May, Mike Boland, Barbara Flynn Currie, Charles Jefferson, Elaine Nekritz, Kathleen Ryg, and Naomi Jackobsson.   

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