Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) issued the following statement regarding the passage of automatic voter registration legislation in the Illinois Senate on Friday, May 5:

“Automatic voter registration is a concept whose time has come. It will save the state money, strengthen the integrity of the electoral system by cleaning up the voter rolls, and make life easier for the residents of Illinois. I urge the House to pass this legislation and Gov. Rauner to sign it into law.”

Senate Bill 1933 would establish an automatic voter registration system in Illinois by July 1, 2018.

Under the system, qualified voters would be automatically registered to vote when they visit the Illinois secretary of state and other state agencies for services. Voters would be able to opt out of the system if they wish. A series of checks would ensure no one is registered to vote that should not be.

Illinois currently has an opt-in voter registration system in which adults who are 18 or older must find, fill out and submit a voter registration form to an appropriate government agency. Voters frequently forget to update their voter registrations when they move, change marital status or go to college, causing confusion at the polls and inaccuracies on the state’s voter rolls.

Automatically registering voters when they do business with the state enables government to do away with redundant paperwork, streamline bureaucracy and be more cost effective for taxpayers.