Public Act 094-0492
 		





HB0715 Enrolled
LRB094 05479 JAM 35526 b






    AN ACT concerning elections.

 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:


 
    Section 5. The Election Code is amended  by changing Section 
1A-16 and by adding Section 1A-30 as follows:
 



    (10 ILCS 5/1A-16)


    Sec. 1A-16. Voter registration information; internet 
posting; processing
of voter registration forms; content of 
such forms. Notwithstanding any law to
the contrary, the 
following provisions shall apply to voter registration under

this Code.

    (a) Voter registration information; Internet posting of 
voter registration
form.  Within 90 days after the effective 
date of this amendatory Act of the
93rd
General Assembly, the 
State Board of Elections shall post on its World Wide Web
site 
the following information:


        (1) A comprehensive list of the names, addresses, phone 
    numbers, and
websites, if applicable, of all county clerks 
    and boards
of election commissioners in Illinois.


        (2) A schedule of upcoming elections and the deadline 
    for voter
registration.


        (3) A downloadable, printable voter registration form, 
    in at least English
and in
Spanish versions, that a person 
    may complete and mail or submit to the
State Board of 
    Elections or the appropriate county clerk or
board of 
    election commissioners.

Any forms described under paragraph (3) must state the 
following:


        If you do not have a driver's license or social 
    security number, and this
form is submitted by mail, and 
    you have never registered to vote in the
jurisdiction you 
    are now registering in, then you must send, with this

    application, either (i) a copy of a current and valid photo 
    identification, or
(ii) a copy of a current utility bill, 
    bank statement, government check,
paycheck, or other 
    government document that shows the name and address of the

    voter. If you do not provide the information required 
    above, then you will be
required to provide election 
    officials with either (i) or (ii) described above
the first 
    time you vote at a voting place or by absentee ballot.

    (b) Acceptance of registration forms by the State Board of 
Elections and
county clerks and board of election 
commissioners. The
State Board of Elections, county clerks, and 
board of election commissioners
shall accept all completed 
voter registration forms
described in subsection (a)(3) of this 
Section and Section 1A-30 that are:


        (1) postmarked on or before the day that voter 
    registration is closed
under
the Election Code;


        (2) not postmarked, but arrives no later than 5 days 
    after the close
of registration;


        (3) submitted in person by a person using the form on 
    or before the
day that voter registration is closed under 
    the Election Code; or


        (4) submitted in person by a person who submits one or 
    more forms
on behalf of one or more persons who used the 
    form on or before
the day that voter registration is closed 
    under the Election Code.

    Upon the receipt of a registration form, the State Board of 
Elections shall
mark
the date on which the form was received

and send the form via first class mail to the appropriate 
county clerk or board
of
election commissioners, as the case 
may be, within 2 business days based upon
the home address of 
the person submitting the registration form.  The county
clerk 
and board of election commissioners shall accept and process 
any form
received from the State Board of Elections.

    (c) Processing of registration forms by county clerks and 
boards of election
commissioners.  The county clerk or board of 
election commissioners shall
promulgate procedures for 
processing the voter registration form.

    (d) Contents of the voter registration form. The State 
Board shall create
a voter registration form, which must 
contain the following content:


        (1) Instructions for completing the form.


        (2) A summary of the qualifications to register to vote 
    in Illinois.


        (3) Instructions for mailing in or submitting the form 
    in person.


        (4) The phone number for the State Board of Elections 
    should a person
submitting the form have questions.


        (5) A box for the person to check that explains one of 
    3 reasons for
submitting the form:


            (a) new registration;


            (b) change of address; or


            (c) change of name.


        (6) a box for the person to check yes or no that asks, 
    "Are you a citizen
of the United States?", a box for the 
    person to check yes or no that asks,
"Will you be 18 years 
    of age on or before election day?", and a statement of
"If 
    you checked 'no' in response to either of these questions, 
    then do not
complete this form.".


        (7) A space for the person to fill in his or her home 
    telephone
number.


        (8) Spaces for the person to fill in his or her first, 
    middle, and last
names, street address (principal place of 
    residence), county, city, state, and
zip code.


        (9) Spaces for the person to fill in his or her mailing 
    address, city,
state, and zip code if different from his or 
    her principal place of residence.


        (10) A space for the person to fill in his or her 
    Illinois driver's
license number if the person has a 
    driver's license.


        (11) A space for a person without a driver's license to 
    fill in the last
four digits of his or her social security 
    number if the person has a social
security number.


        (12) A space for a person without an Illinois driver's 
    license to fill in
his or her identification number from 
    his or her State Identification card
issued by the 
    Secretary of State.


        (13) A space for the person to fill the name appearing 
    on his or her last
voter registration, the street address 
    of his or her last registration,
including the city, 
    county, state, and zip code.


        (14) A space where the person swears or affirms the 
    following under
penalty of perjury with his or her 
    signature:


            (a) "I am a citizen of the United States.";


            (b) "I will be at least 18 years old on or before 
        the next election.";


            (c) "I will have lived in the State of Illinois and 
        in my election
precinct at least 30 days as of the date 
        of the next election."; and


            "The information I have provided is true to the 
        best of my knowledge
under penalty of perjury.  If I 
        have provided false information, then
than I may be

        fined, imprisoned, or if I am not a U.S. citizen, 
        deported from or refused
entry into the United States."

    (d) Compliance with federal law; rulemaking authority. The 
voter
registration
form described in this Section shall be 
consistent with the form prescribed by
the
Federal
Election 
Commission under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993,

P.L. 103-31, as amended from time to time, and the Help America 
Vote Act of
2002, P.L. 107-252, in all relevant respects. The 
State Board of Elections
shall periodically update the form 
based on changes to federal or State law.
The State Board of 
Elections shall promulgate any rules necessary for the

implementation of this Section; provided that the rules
comport 
with the letter and spirit of the National Voter Registration 
Act of
1993 and Help America Vote Act of 2002 and maximize the 
opportunity for a
person to register to vote.

    (e) Forms available in paper form. The State Board of 
Elections shall make
the voter registration form available in 
regular paper stock and form in
sufficient quantities for the 
general public.  The State Board of Elections may
provide the 
voter registration form to the Secretary of State, county

clerks, boards of election commissioners, designated agencies 
of the State of
Illinois, and any other person or entity 
designated to have these forms by the
Election Code in regular 
paper stock and form or some other format deemed
suitable by 
the Board. Each county clerk or board of election commissioners 
has
the authority to design and print its own voter 
registration form so long as
the form complies with the 
requirements of this Section.  The State Board
of Elections, 
county clerks, boards of election commissioners, or other

designated agencies of the State of Illinois required to have 
these forms under
the Election Code shall provide a member of 
the public with any reasonable
number of forms
that he or she 
may request. Nothing in this Section shall permit the State

Board of
Elections, county clerk, board of election 
commissioners, or other appropriate
election official who may 
accept a voter registration form to refuse to accept
a voter 
registration form because the form is printed on photocopier or 
regular
paper
stock and form.

    (f) Internet voter registration study. The State Board of 
Elections shall
investigate the feasibility of offering voter 
registration on its website and
consider voter registration 
methods of other states in an effort to maximize
the 
opportunity for all Illinois citizens to register to vote. The 
State Board
of Elections shall assemble its findings in a 
report and submit it to the
General Assembly no later than 
January 1, 2006. The report shall contain
legislative 
recommendations to the General Assembly on improving voter

registration in Illinois.

(Source: P.A. 93-574, eff. 8-21-03.)


 
    (10 ILCS 5/1A-30  new)
    Sec. 1A-30. College voter outreach. Each public 
institution of higher learning in Illinois must make available 
on its World Wide Web site a downloadable, printable voter 
registration form that complies with the requirements in 
subsection (d) of Section 1A-16 for the State Board of 
Elections' voter registration form.
    Each public institution of higher learning in Illinois must 
include voter registration information and a voter 
registration form supplied by the State Board of Elections 
under subsection (e) of Section 1A-16 in any mailing of student 
registration materials to an address located in Illinois.  Each 
public institution of higher learning must provide voter 
registration information and a voter registration form 
supplied by the State Board of Elections under subsection (e) 
of Section 1A-16 to each person with whom the institution 
conducts in-person student registration.