Public Act 93-0230

HB0030 Enrolled                      LRB093 02371 JAM 02379 b

    AN ACT relating to simulated voting by minors.

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

    Section  1.  Short  title.   This Act may be cited as the
Voting by Minors Act.

    Section 5.  Development of program.
    (a)  The State Board of Elections and the State Board  of
Education   shall   develop   a  pilot  program  under  which
elementary and  secondary  school  students  in  kindergarten
through  grade  12  in  participating  school  districts  and
counties  may participate in a simulated election held on the
date of the general election in 2004.
    (b)  The program shall  be  designed  for  implementation
only in those counties in which the election authority elects
to  participate in the program.  Each school district located
in those counties may elect to participate in the program.
    (c)  In each  county  and  school  district  electing  to
participate  in the program, the program shall be implemented
in accordance  with  standards  jointly  developed  for  that
purpose  by  the  State Board of Elections and State Board of
Education.

    Section 10.  Funding.
    (a)  Implementation of the  program  is  contingent  upon
receipt of the necessary funding from private sources.
    (b)  The  program  as  developed  by  the  State Board of
Elections and State Board of Education: (i) shall require the
formation of a nonprofit, volunteer administrative  board  in
each  participating county and a coordinating statewide board
that is also nonprofit and volunteer;  (ii)  shall  prescribe
the manner in which those boards shall be formed; (iii) shall
prescribe  the  responsibilities  of  those boards, including
securing  the  necessary  private   funding   and   volunteer
assistance  required to implement the program; and (iv) shall
prescribe measures designed to assure fiscal integrity in the
use of donated funds  and  equitable  distribution  of  those
funds  for program purposes in the participating counties and
school districts.

    Section 15.  Volunteer assistance.  State funds shall not
be used for implementation of the program.  The program shall
be conducted  and  operated  with  volunteer  assistance  and
private  funds.  The State Board of Elections and State Board
of Education, however, shall develop the program as  required
by  this  Act  and  may  make  their personnel available on a
reasonable basis for consulting purposes.

    Section 20.  Educational curriculum.  A component of  the
program  as  developed  by  the  State Board of Education and
State Board of Elections shall include a reasonable amount of
classroom instruction, as part of existing courses offered by
a participating school district,  concerning  voting  history
and   laws,  voting  procedures,  election  campaigns,  media
influence, and the importance of  voter  participation.   The
suggested curriculum shall be developed by the State Board of
Education and State Board of Elections by January 1, 2004 and
shall  be  made  available to school districts that may later
elect  to  participate  in  the  program.     The   suggested
curriculum  shall  be  based  upon 6 to 12 hours of classroom
instruction  and  shall  include  homework  assignments  that
necessitate dialogue between children and  their  parents  or
guardians  concerning the voting process and specifically the
candidates and propositions to be voted upon at  the  general
election.




    Section  25.  Basic  program  requirements.   The program
standards jointly developed under subsection (c) of Section 5
shall require: (i) that children  register  to  vote  in  the
simulated  election; (ii) that on the day of the 2004 general
election the children accompany their parents  to  the  polls
and vote on separate ballots in voting booths adjacent to the
adult  booths; (iii) that the children vote on the same races
and propositions as the adult voters, except that the  number
of  races  or propositions on which the younger children vote
may be reduced as necessary based on their grade level;  (iv)
that  the  ballots be designed, using pictures and symbols as
necessary, so that all children may vote  their  choice  even
though  they  are unable to read; (v) that simulated election
judges participate at the polls  as  part  of  the  simulated
election;  (vi) that the results of the simulated election be
tabulated beginning after the closing of the  polls  and  the
results  announced  on  the  following  day;  and (vii) other
standards that the State Board of Elections and  State  Board
of   Education   determine  will  contribute  to  the  voting
experience of the children.

    Section 30.  Report.  The State Board  of  Elections  and
State  Board  of Education shall develop the voting by minors
pilot program  and  distribute  it  to  all  county  election
authorities  and  school  districts  in  January of 2004.  In
addition,  before  January  1,  2004,  the  State  Board   of
Elections  and  State  Board  of Education shall jointly file
with the Governor and the General  Assembly  a  copy  of  the
program  together  with  a  written  report  recommending any
additional legislation necessary before actual implementation
of the program at the 2004 general election.

    Section 35.  Timetable.  The State Board of Elections and
State Board of Education shall adopt rules  under  which  (i)
counties  and  school  districts that chose to participate in
the voting by minors  program  are  determined  beginning  no
later  than  March  1,  2004,  (ii)  the county and statewide
boards  described  in  subsection  (b)  of  Section  10   are
established  no  later  than  July  1,  2004,  and  (iii) the
availability of sufficient private funding is  determined  by
August   1,  2004,  along  with  those  counties  and  school
districts that will be actual program participants.

    Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect  upon
becoming law.