‘Automatic’ Voter Registration? It’s Under Construction
The Chicago Election Board issued a reminder to voters and candidates: we are more than a year away from having actual “Automatic” Voter Registration.
“As we celebrate National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 26 and as candidates circulate petitions to get on the March ballots, we want to remind everyone that the state’s brand-new Automatic Voter Registration law in Illinois remains only a concept, not a working system,” said Chicago Election Board Chairwoman Marisel A. Hernandez.
“Eventually, Automatic Voter Registration will add hundreds of thousands of citizens to the voter rolls, and it will update the records of hundreds of thousands of others when they move,” Hernandez said. “But for now, Automatic Voter Registration is still under construction.”
Even when the Illinois Automatic Voter Registration system goes live by early 2019, citizens will be “automatically” registered only as they obtain or renew their state driver’s licenses or ID cards. Thus, the benefits of Automatic Voter Registration will be realized over years, not instantly.
“To our voters: You may register for the first time or update your records by: using the state’s online registration system; mailing us a registration form; visiting your local election office; or working with a deputy registrar,” Hernandez said. “If you live in Chicago and want to check if you’re already registered at your current address, visit our web site at chicagoelections.com.”
“To the candidates who plan to file for office: You still need to verify that the people who sign your petitions are registered voters at the addresses they put next to their names.”