Sharon Alter, Co-Chair, Voter Service
RE: SB 1933 -- Automatic Voter Registration
ACTION NEEDED:
Please contact your State Senator as soon as possible and ask him/her to vote to support SB 1933, Automatic Voter Registration.
SB1933 has made its way to the floor of the Illinois Senate and could be voted on as soon as Tuesday, April 25th.
Link to the legislation: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=1933&GAID=14&GA=100&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=105253&SessionID=91
WHY IT MATTERS:
SB 1933 was carefully crafted to improve the security and integrity of our electoral process, while saving money for state and local governments by streamlining Illinois' registration process; national experts were consulted to ensure compliance with federal law. If SB 1933 is passed, a system of automatic voter registration would be created where, using reliable information already in Illinois' database, eligible citizens would be able to register to vote or update their voter registration status. When an eligible voter interacts with a state agency such as the Secretary of State for driver's licenses, she/he would be automatically registered to vote unless she/he takes action to opt out of AVR. Verified information would then be sent on to local election authorities, who would finalize the actual registration.
Here are some reasons to support Automatic Voter Registration (AVR):
- AVR greatly expands access to voting. AVR promises to add many more eligible Illinois voters to the rolls, making it more likely they will participate in elections, thereby strengthening our democracy.
- AVR makes voter rolls accurate and secure, by more frequent records updating, e.g., when voters move, and by eliminating duplicate records. More accurate voter lists better ensure the integrity of our elections.
- For many of the same reasons AVR is more accurate, it is also more efficient and over time will save taxpayers a significant amount of money.
