FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Joanna Klonsky
312-307-0840

LANDMARK VOTING RIGHTS REFORM BILL PASSES IN

SPRINGFIELD
Election Day voter registration and early voting expanded,
registration process to be modernized
SPRINGFIELD, IL (December 3, 2014)-- Illinois antiquated voting system will be brought
into the 21st Century thanks to the General Assemblys passage of SB 172, a sweeping
voting rights bill today in the final hours of the Veto Session. SB 172 allows voters to
register and vote on Election Day, expands early voting, offers Grace Period
Registration on university campuses, and modernizes our registration processes, among
other provisions.
The passage of this landmark legislation is a huge victory for every voter in Illinois, said
Marissa Liebling, Program Director of Just Vote, a diverse coalition of advocacy
organizations that has been advocating for Election Day Registration and many of
these reforms. This law will strengthen the democratic process in our state and bring
countless new voters into the fold.
A pilot program in some precincts in the November 4 General Election demonstrated
strong need for Election Day registration, with thousands of voters registering and
casting ballots at Election Day registration locations throughout greater Chicago and
Illinois.
Because the General Assembly acted quickly to make this reform permanent,
jurisdictions have plenty of time to prepare for implementation of the measures,
including in-precinct Election Day Registration for all jurisdictions with a population of
over 100,000.
Election Day Registration serves as an important fail-safe option for those who have
moved without properly updating their address and for those who tried to register but
encountered administrative errors, said Abe Scarr, Director of Illinois PIRG. It will help
Illinois to operate under a simple idea--that anyone who wants to vote and is eligible
should be able to participate in our electoral process.

The bill also contains important provisions that modernize the way voter registration is
offered at state agencies, like the DMV, and processed through the use of the National
Change of Address Registry. The bill will also enter Illinois as a member of the Electronic
Registration Information Center (ERIC), which will help clean voter rolls and improve
election integrity while increasing registration opportunities. This full package of reforms
compliments Election Day Registration by ensuring as many eligible people as possible
are properly registered in advance of every election, said Kathleen Yang-Clayton of
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Chicago.
Expanding access to the democratic process is critical in Illinois, where we have
second lowest voter turnout in the Midwest, said Anne Manly, Action Team Chair of
Common Cause Illinois. With the passage of SB 172, we are joining other Midwestern
states--Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota--in offering in-precinct Election Day Registration.
This is a sign of serious progress in improving our democracy.
Election Day Registration helps engage and empower new voters, including young
voters and naturalized citizens, many of whom are casting a ballot for the first time,
said Lawrence Benito, Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and
Refugee Rights. If we want immigrant communities to be full participants in the
democratic process, Election Day Registration is a key ingredient.
SB 172 had broad support from a diverse coalition of groups who rallied to push for
permanent Election Day Registration, including AFSCME Council 31, Asian Americans
Advancing Justice-Chicago, the Better Government Association, CHANGE Illinois, the
Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, Chicago Votes Action Fund, Citizen
Advocacy Center, the Committee to Preserve Voting Rights, Common Cause Illinois,
the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Chicago, the Illinois Campaign for Political
Reform, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Illinois PIRG, IVI-IPO, the
League of Women Voters of Illinois, the Mexican American Legal Defense and
Educational Fund-Midwest Region, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, Rainbow PUSH
Coalition, SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana, and the South Asian American Policy and
Research Institute, along with Student Government leaders from the University of Illinois,
Loyola University, Harold Washington College, Illinois Institute of Technology, Southern
Illinois University at Edwardsville, Eastern Illinois University, and Northwestern University.
For more information about the Just Vote coalition, or to request an interview on the
impact of SB 172, please contact Joanna Klonsky at 312-307-0840.