Kendall Clerk Will Correct 'Misleading' Voter ID Mailer: ACLU

KENDALL COUNTY, IL — Kendall County Clerk Debbie Gillette will remove "misleading and confusing" information telling voters to be prepared to present ID at the polls, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois said Wednesday. The ACLU update came a day after it said it "called out" Gillette for providing “misleading and confusing instructions” to voters regarding identification requirements to vote in Kendall County after a flier distributed by her office told voters to “be prepared to present identification to the election judge” at their polling place.

A photo ID is not typically required to vote in Illinois.

Amy Meek, staff counsel at the ACLU of Illinois, sent Gillette a letter after "a number of individuals and groups have expressed concerns" about the flier, adding that instruction could also potentially confuse poll workers.

"This instruction ignores the reality that Illinois law generally does not require voters to present an identification card when they vote," the ACLU said in a news release. " They are required only to state their name and address, and provided that they are on the precinct’s list of registered voters, nothing more is required."

According to Meek, "the phrasing of the Kendall County Clerk’s mailer suggests that voters may be turned away if they do not have an identification card." She added, "We have heard disturbing reports of election judges turning eligible voters away from the polls based on a lack of ID. If true, these reports indicate that poll workers do not understand the law in this area."

On Wednesday afternoon, Gillette responded to the ACLU, saying voters are not required to show ID to vote but citing two possible exceptions, according to WSPY. Those exceptions were first-time voters who wish to vote by mail, as well as instances in which precinct judges are unsatisfied by comparing signatures on registration certificates to registration record cards.

Gillette also said a page regarding voting and early voting on the Kendall County Clerk's website "has been amended per your request" and that election judges will continue to be instructed that ID is not required to vote.

As early voting got under way Thursday in Kendall County, the ACLU of Illinois asked anyone who is turned away at the polls due to lack of ID to notify the organization.

Gillette is seeking re-election this November after running unopposed in the Republican primary. On Wednesday, Democratic opponent Andrew Torres shared a photo of an ACLU post on the incident, writing, "My campaign and I stand with the laws and voters of Illinois. We believe all Voters deserve a free and unobstructed right to vote. When I am elected, I will ensure that all voters are treated equally and provided equal access to their protected right to vote."

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