House Approves Automatic Voter Registration Plan

CHICAGO, IL — The Illinois House approved a plan to register voters automatically by a unanimous vote.

The proposal was sponsored by Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) and passed 115-0 Monday.

The bill, SB1933, would make Illinois the ninth state in the county to implement a form of automatic voter registration (AVR).

"I am proud that my colleagues in the House voted to bring automatic voter registration to Illinois, making voter registration more modern, efficient and accessible to all eligible voters,” said Rep. Gabel. "This legislation is a model of bipartisan cooperation and I urge Governor Rauner to sign it into law.”

It would register eligible voters automatically at the Department of Motor Vehicles, Secretary of State's office and other state agencies. Instead of choosing to opt in, people would have to actively opt out of voter registration.

Before it ends up at the desk of Gov. Bruce Rauner, the legislation first returns to the Senate for final approval, where it has been sponsored by Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill).

Cook County Clerk David Orr hailed the bill's bipartisan passage and urged Rauner to sign it. He said implementing AVR would serve to clean up the voter rolls.

"It would make our voter rolls cleaner and more inclusive, streamline the process of voter registration while taking the burden off the backs of eligible voters and shifting the responsibility where it belongs – with government," Orr said. "Plus, it would be a natural registration fraud fighter."

Last year, Rauner vetoed a similar bill passed the General Assembly, suggesting it did not follow federal law or do enough to prevent voter fraud. The latest version of the bill incorporated some of the adjustments Rauner sought.

"We must protect the sanctity of our election process, and we thank the bill sponsors and stakeholders who worked with us on this piece of legislation," said a spokesperson for the governor's office.

Cook County Clerk video supporting AVR:

Top photo via Shutterstock